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.

Holiday Tidings

I love the holiday season! It's my favorite time of year. Like the song says, 'It's the most wonderful time of the year'!

For me the season always starts a few days before Thanksgiving. That's when the baking begins- pies for starters, pumpkin's my favorite, chocolate cream is my second, sour cream lemon is my Dad's favorite. Of course on Thanksgiving there's all sorts of cooking going on, from the turkey to the mashed potatoes to the yams and don't forget the fruit salad!

Grandpa always has us go around the table and tell what we're thankful for. It's fun to hear what people come up with each year. Then we sing the chorus of the old hymn, "Doxology".

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below.
Praise Him all ye heavenly host,
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen."

After dinner we hang out, play games, laugh and just enjoy spending time together. The next day is one of my favorite because, finally, I'm allowed to start playing Christmas carols and begin decorating!

Christmas is the best part of the holiday season as far as I'm concerned. When I was a kid of course there were presents to enjoy and I've always loved giving gifts but now there's more to it. Now I appreciate so much more the story of Christmas. I still can't imagine how hard it must've been for Mary to learn she was pregnant or Joseph to accept he would be raising a child that was God's, not his.

However as an adult I can appreciate those hardships and difficulties in a way I couldn't when I was a kid. My favorite part of the story though is the shepherds. God sent the heavenly host to announce the birth of His son to a group of lowly shepherds. If that doesn't show how much God loves all of His people, no matter what station they have in life, then what does?

Anyways after Christmas comes New Years, a great time for reflection on all God's done, resolutions on what you'd like to do and one last party to enjoy for the end of the wonderful holiday season.

So what's your favorite part of the most wonderful time of the year?

Slow, Quick, Speak, Listen

A couple of weeks ago I spent five days without a voice. After getting over a cold I got laryngitis and couldn't speak above a whisper. It was a frustrating experience. On day one I was still very tired so I spent most of the day in bed.

Day two I had to work for a little bit and then had to run errands. I got so frustrated having to explain to people at the bank and gas station that I wasn't being rude or quiet but just couldn't speak any louder. Thankfully most people were understanding but it was surprising to realize just how much I take the ability to communicate for granted.

By day three I was wondering when this was going to end and I started thinking about what God might teach me through this experience. That's when He reminded me of James 1:19
"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry..."

I like to talk. Anyone who knows me will tell you that. But having no voice I had to be more aware of what I wanted to say. I couldn't call a friend on the phone, I had to text so I had to choose my words a lot more carefully then if I was just talking. I couldn't talk to someone from across the room so if I thought of something I wanted to say I had go stand next to them to say it. This experience, although frustrating, encouraged me to listen more then I spoke. I learned some interesting things about people just because I listened when normally I would've shared my own experiences. It was a rather humbling lesson.

Day four He taught me my next lesson/reminder. Even though other people can't hear me God always can. I don't have to pray out loud for the Creator of the universe to hear my thoughts. He knows all, including my every thought! So I can have a silent conversation with him no matter where I am, what I'm doing, or how loudly I can speak. Pretty incredible when you think about it. So why don't I think about it more often?

I pray silently every morning when I go over my prayer list but what I forget is to have conversations with Him. Say you're sitting with your best friend over a cup of coffee. You're going to tell them about the serious stuff in your life, "Hey I'm looking for a new job" or "I'm thinking about moving" etc. but you're also going to talk about the little things. "Hey, I read this cool article the other day" and "I'm frustrated today because..." whatever it is, big or little you'll likely share your thoughts with someone you trust and have an ongoing relationship with. Who is more trustworthy then the Lord? Who better to share your thoughts with and have a conversation with? Especially since it can be an ongoing conversation throughout your whole day!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

On day five my voice was starting to return but was still no louder then a hoarse whisper. That day I got a combination of my first two lessons. A conversation isn't one sided. God can hear me no matter what but I need to slow down and remember to listen to Him also.

All in all it wasn't fun to go five days with no voice but God uses all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to his purpose. This time he used my sickness to teach me some very important lessons.

Veteran's Day

What does Veteran's Day mean to you?

To me it makes me think of the countless veterans I've known throughout my life. My granddad was in the Army. My dad served in the Navy, retiring shortly after I was born. My uncles served in the Air Force, and National Guard. I have cousins who have served or are serving in the Navy, National Guard, Army and Air Force. And that's just my family members that I've known. We can trace our genealogy back to at least one person from our family serving in every war including the Revolutionary War.

But why? Why do we have a day to honor these people? Because they made or were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Those who have served in the military knew that they could be called upon to fight and even to die to defend the freedoms that our country was founded on. Their families paid the price of not knowing if or when they were coming home.

Today we have so many people who take those freedoms for granted. They protest because they have the freedom of free speech. A right that was defended and paid for by the blood of our men and women in arms.

They worship how they choose because they have the freedom to pick their religion or have none at all. A right our soldiers have defended.

They can protect themselves because they have the freedom to keep and bear arms. Another right that most people in the world can't even dream of.

And they have the right to elect their own government. They can vote people in and out of office, have a say in what laws pass or don't. Is it a perfect system? Of course not. But it's a right that we have that most of the world's population can't imagine.

There are so many rights that we have that our soldiers have defended since the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. Many take them for granted or have not learned what they really mean.

So why do we celebrate Veteran's Day? So one day out of the year we stop and think about that sacrifice that was and is being made.

So thank you to Veteran's everywhere and a special thank you to your families. And happy Veteran's Day.

Insecurity

Is there anyone reading this that has ever struggled with insecurity?
For the record I doubt anyone said no to that question. At least not if they were answering honestly. At some point in their lives everyone struggles with insecurity, everyone. Whether it's the black hole of comparing yourself to others or getting bogged down in the mud of a mean or careless comment that someone says to you. Maybe it's the nightmare of hating the image you see when you look in the mirror instead of seeing yourself as God's creation. Whatever causes it the result is the same. Insecurity.

In the Bible translation called The Voice 1 Peter 2:1 is translated this way. "So get rid of hatefulness and deception, of insecurity and jealously and slander." I love the way that this translation puts it because insecurity is listed right along things like slander and deception, hatefulness and jealously. Think about that for a moment. Would you list hatefulness with insecurity? Most people wouldn't. I never would have but this translation does.

The definition of insecurity is listed as "uncertainty or anxiety about oneself; lack of confidence." My translation- not trusting that God knew what He was doing when He created us. We doubt Him and give into our sin nature when we give into everything listed in that verse. Slander, hatefulness, deception, and jealously. All of these things come from our sin nature. Including insecurity.

The beginning of that verse says to get rid of these things. In the New International Version it says "Therefore, rid yourselves of all..." So not only is insecurity listed alongside all these others horrible things but it also says to rid ourselves of all these things.

How do we do that? How do we rid ourselves of insecurity, hatred, slander, jealousy and deception? Well I don't have all the answers but I do have another verse that goes along with it. Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."

Maybe it's not an exact science but it seems that if we're trying to getting rid of the things listed in 1 Peter 2:1 then a very good place to start is to think about the things listed in Philippians 4:8.

So let's go through the lists again. Get rid of hatefulness. Think about what is admirable. Get rid of deception. Think about what is true. Get rid of insecurity. Think about what is pure. Get rid of jealously. Think about what is noble. Get rid of slander. Think about what is right. Instead of dwelling on the bad and getting caught up in things like insecurity focus on whatever is excellent and praiseworthy.