2018 Update and 2019 Word

So every year I look back on the goals I set around New Years or the word I picked to study on, or any resolutions I set and try to give you an update about how I did. Last year I knew that there would probably be a lot going on in 2018 so I tried to keep my goals reasonable but still challenge myself. And for the first time, probably ever, I'm happy to say that I accomplished all of those goals!

When I sat down this time last year and tried to imagine what the next year would bring me I could never imagine everything that happened. In the last twelve months my brother had to have surgery and my mom and I spent almost 3 months taking turns staying at his house to help take care of him and his kids so his wife could go back to work. (I'm happy to say he's made a full recovery and is doing very well now.) Just after that my parents shut down our business we've run for half my life. That led to me starting a new job and moving to a new house with two of the coolest girls I know. My roommates and I love our place and are having a great time making it our own.

One of my other goals I set last year was for the youth group. Well the youth group has seen a lot of changes this year as some kids have moved on, some graduated last year and some younger ones have come up into middle school, leading us to look for how best to accommodate the needs for such a wide age span. I feel so blessed for the time that God has given me to be able to teach, encourage and lead trips with these awesome young people. Watching Him work in their lives is truly one of the best parts of my life and I'm excited to see what changes He'll have for them, me and our group in the year to come.

And of course the last goal that I set last year that I'm going to talk about was the goal that I wanted to connect with people more. Although I'm almost 50/50 on the introvert/extrovert scale I have a bad habit of internalizing my problems and not reaching out to people when I'm feeling stressed or overwhelmed. I forget that God created us to be in community with each other and that means helping each other out. But people can't help me if they don't know anything's wrong. To that end and to the end that I wanted to be intentional about my time I made the goal to connect with people more. Whether it's the youth group or my roommates, my family, my nieces and nephews or just friends I've made a conscious effort to truly listen when people speak, ask for help when I need it and not take these special relationships God's gifted me with for granted. And it has been such a blessing!

So moving on because 2018 is almost up I spent a long time praying about what to do next year. As I've done in years past I decided to pick a word that I could carry through the year with me, which led to more prayer because in case you haven't noticed there's a LOT of words out there!
Anyways eventually I picked the word 'home'. Sounds a little funny but the fact is that home is not just a physical place. God is our refuge and, in the coming year, I want to really dwell on the fact that my home, my security and my identity is not wrapped up in things or places or even other people, it's all centered on God. He is my strength, my refuge, the one that supplies my every need. He is my home.

So that's the update on 2018 and what I'll be working on in 2019. What about you? Goals, plans, adventures or words? I'd love to hear about them in the comments section below!

Angels Unaware

"Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2

There are angels all throughout the Christmas story. An angel appeared to Mary, to Joseph, to Zechariah. The heavenly host appeared to the shepherds in the fields. There's so many angels that they've even become a huge part of our Christmas traditions today. We put angels on our Christmas trees, half of our Christmas songs are about angels and no nativity set is truly complete without an angel perched above watching over those gathered at the manger.

But it's more then that. Around Christmas time we often see 'human angels'. Those people who invest in other's lives in a way that somehow stands out to us a lot more during this time of the year. There's the obvious but adorable children who dress up as angels and shepherds in church Christmas plays worldwide. They may be obvious but they still play an important role in spreading the good news of the meaning of the season. There's also the bell ringers from Salvation Army, standing out in the cold to raise money for the poor, always with a smile on their faces. And the random people who do something kind for someone else. Things like taking that cart for the mom in the parking lot, it may seem simple to them but to that stressed out mom with the tired kids who need a nap, not having to drag them over to the cart return and back means a lot.

There's more angels out there though. The Bible doesn't tell us 'this is when you'll meet an angel, this is what they'll look like and here's how you should respond'. It does say that you might meet one and not even realize. So what does that look like? Well, I honestly don't know. Have I ever met a real heavenly angel before? Probably. Can I say when, no.

What I can say is that the word 'angel' in the Bible just means 'messenger' and I've met lots of wonderful people who have become angels by being a messenger that God is still in control, that He loves me and that He's still active in the world through every day people like you and me.

I don't know if you'll meet an angel this Christmas weekend but I do know you can be one. As you go throughout this weekend/Christmas week remember to smile, share God's love and reach out to those around you. Be a messenger of the good news of the real reason we celebrate Christmas so you can be angel to someone today.

Merry Christmas friends!

Christmas Lists and God

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about podcasts I listen to. I mentioned that Jamie Grace's "Wait It Out" is a podcast I love. When I was listening to it the other day I heard her make a really great analogy that I knew immediately I wanted to share with all of you.

I can't remember the exact quote but the concept wasn't something like this.

God doesn't own a flea market that we can just walk through, grab what we want, take it to the front counter and say this is what I want and here's what I'm willing to pay for it.

Her point was that you can't barter with God. He's not Santa Claus. You don't write him a letter and say something like this.
"Dear God,
     This Christmas I want a new car, my bills paid and no family drama. I'd also like a scholarship for my son's college. I've been very good this year and limited my sins to just breaking four of the ten commandments routinely instead of six like last year.
Love, a grown up child."

Because seriously, if you're still treating God like Santa Claus then you're still acting like a child. You can't barter with God friends! He's God! Not the owner of a flea market who wants to try to get as much money out of you as possible. No, God isn't a slimy salesman trying to take you to the cleaners, He wants what's best for you.

Let's put it this way. Every kid goes through that time when all they want is to eat cookies. Every good parent knows that they need to eat something besides just sugar or they'll get sick. So they tell their kid no. And then the child gets mad and doesn't like them for a while because they won't give them what they want. In a child's mind Santa will give them everything they want if they're just good enough. God is a lot more like that parent then Santa.

Does God reward us when we love and obey Him? Yes. Does that reward always come by Him fulfilling our Christmas list? No. We live in a fallen world, and disappointments in what we want are part of that fallen condition. God allows difficult times for our long term growth. He says in Jeremiah that He has a plan for you that is for good and not for evil. This is God's promise to His children.

What's that purpose or plan you might ask. I don't know, I'm not Santa Claus. Or God. I am not blessed/cursed enough to have all the answers.

But hopefully you understand my point. When we pray we need to do it with a sincere heart and trust God that whatever His answer is it's for our best, not act like a disappointed child because 'we did everything right and He didn't bring us the new Barbie Dream house we wanted'. That's just not how God works.

Faith and Love

Galatians 5:6 "For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love."

In the New Testament bible called "The Voice" that I sometimes read and have talked about on here before it says something very interesting. It's says 'faith energized by love'. That really stood out to me.

I love that concept. Faith-energized by love.

Isn't that what church is all about? Being a part of a church family is about more then just learning and growing in your faith. It's about learning and growing in love. Faith and love are not separate concepts my friends they go hand in hand. James says that faith without works is dead, the reason for that is simple. When we have faith, motivated or energized by love it overflows from our hearts and comes out in good works.

Faith isn't stagnant. It's constantly growing, changing and being expressed by our actions and deeds. And what powers this great force in our lives? The greatest attribute of all- love. Love energizes our faith to make it change and grow and have an impact, not just on ourselves but others.

The Bible talks about being a light in this world. What better way to be a light then to show the love of Jesus? And how do we do that? We do that by acting out our faith. Faith energized by love.

This concept is something, especially as we go into the holidays, that is really on my heart.

Faith. Love. Faith energized by love.

What does that look like for you this week?

For me it's simple, saying Merry Christmas, smiling more, and finding small ways to do good deeds like dropping change into the buckets of the Salvation Army bell ringers. It's about finding ways to pray for people and listening more then I talk. All of these are ways that I'm letting my faith be energized by love. The love of Christ for me. His love for others. The love that He gives me for this lost and broken world at the time of the season when we celebrate His amazing love for us that urged Him to come and be born as a baby to save us from our sins.

Merry Christmas friends!!!

And yes, I will end up saying that every week probably until Christmas. After all, you can never hear it too many times!

Holidays and Heaven

Yesterday morning I woke really early and decided to spend some extra time in my Bible. I opened to the book of Zechariah and this verse stood out to me.
"Many nations will joining themselves to the Lord on that day, and they, too, will be my people. I will live among you, and you will know that the Lord of Heaven's Armies sent me to you." Zechariah 2:11

Not long after that I learned that a good friend of my family had passed away suddenly the previous week. It came out of nowhere and I can't imagine the pain his family is in. Many of his friends are reeling from this sudden loss but we can all take comfort in knowing that He's with his Heavenly Father, safe in the arms of Jesus and dancing with his daughter on streets of gold.

As we're in the holiday season it always starts me thinking of the gatherings that happen this time of year. Thanksgiving, Christmas and even New Year's Eve bring together family and friends. You get groups from different careers, towns, backgrounds and lifestyles coming together because they're connected by family, friends or proximity to the gathering.

As the years go on the faces change, some new ones but sadly a lot of them can no longer be there. Sickness and death overtake us all and take away the ones we love. It's often hard to look around the room and see all those people that are missing.

But this verse reminds me that these are not the gatherings that matter the most. There will be a very different gathering one day. When the Lord returns and those who belong to Him are in heaven and under His reign (or in the new Jerusalem under His reign as this verse talks about) we'll all be together because of the fact that the Lord is our Savior. We'll still be from different backgrounds and regions and languages and people but we'll all be connected by the most important reason of all, Christ. People from every nation, including Israel- God's chosen people- will be gathered together. They will live in harmony and worship Him. And not just for a holiday but for eternity. And eternity of no more sickness or tears or sin or death.

That's the gathering I most look forward to.
And that's the one that my friend has joined. He, along with so many others, will be waiting when it's my turn. We all have those people, the ones who are gathered together just waiting for us to join the greatest gathering of all time. The one we'll find in heaven. As you gather with loved ones for the holiday and remember those you've lost remember to celebrate those who are in heaven and are already safe in the arms of their Savior. And cherish the ones that are still here because loved ones and holidays are given to us to make our lives just a little bit better and that's something we should all celebrate this season.