The world celebrates Christmas without really understanding what it means. It is God revealed in human flesh, the great mystery of our faith. Do I fully understand the incarnation? No, but I believe it with my whole heart and I can celebrate His incarnation all year. But it also has implications that affect my life every day. In this newest series of blogs, I will explore the will of God, the favor and blessing of God, and what those mean by looking at Mary’s life before and after the birth of the Son of God. I keep my nativity scene up all year around because I want to be reminded that God came in human form to be the Lamb of God Who takes away…
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Open Door
“ But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled and disturbed and confused at what he said and kept revolving in her mind what such a greeting might mean. And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace (free, spontaneous, absolute favor and loving-kindness) with God. Luke 1. Mary’s troubled mind was caused by Gabriel’s greeting. This greeting was an open door to her destiny, paving her path with grace and love. It’s a supernatural visitation to bring her into the place God ordained for her to be. This territory was unexplored by any human being, created in the mind of God to be fulfilled in His time. She was in the arms of Heaven, in the…
Amazing Grace
“And he came to her and said, Hail, O favored one [endued with grace]! The Lord is with you!” Luke 1:28 God’s call on Mary’s life rises from the depths of grace and is the foundation of her purpose. She can begin at no other place than this for the work God has chosen for her. Prophecies down through the ages are about to be fulfilled in a humble virgin’s body. She is immediately ushered into a new dimension with the certainty of God’s abiding presence. She could not glory in her position, nor claim one good work that put her there. Her only work is obedient faith. She opens the door of her womb for the Son of God to enter and be clothed…
Imagine Mary
“Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee named Nazareth, to a girl never having been married and a virgin engaged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.” Luke 2:26-27 I try to imagine what it was like for Mary, who up until the time the angel Gabriel came to her had a normal life. She was soon to be married to Joseph and have her own family at the tender age of sixteen or seventeen. She had no idea what was waiting for her the day Gabriel came calling. God created Mary for this purpose: to be the body…
Tis the Season To Start Blogging
Yes, it is the season to start blogging and never stop. For anyone who is following me, I apologize for the length of time between blogs. That won’t happen again, if I stay disciplined! That is one thing having a blog has taught me: consistency. In the past week I have made a momentous decision. I have always been a writer, but when I began trying to build a sales company, writing got the leftovers of my time and energy. I grew and changed and met some wonderful people who are still in my life, but building a sales company was not in God’s plan for me. Writing is. I saw the light after months of struggle and indecision. There is no more wavering. I’m…
Fasting: A Life Lived
“‘We have fasted before You!’ they say. ‘Why aren’t You impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and You don’t even notice it!’ “I will tell you why!” I respond. “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers. 4 What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. 5 You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord?” Isaiah 58:3-5 Forgive us, Lord. Amen.
Lent: The Season of Fasting
” And whenever you are fasting, do not look gloomy and [m]sour and [n]dreary like the hypocrites, for they put on a dismal countenance, that their fasting may be apparent to and seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward [o]in full already.” Matthew 6:16 During this season of Lent, the 40 days before Easter, many pious folk will be abstaining from something that is meaningful to them. In Jesus’ day fasting meant not eating, which I think is the most difficult. It is a true sacrifice to deny the body what it craves and to wrap all of this in regular clothes and a smiling face, is the true test of my motivation. I desire no other audience than my…
Since Then…And Now
Often I start blogs but rarely stick with them. They hang out in cyberspace until I re-discover them in my online travels. I’m working hard on being consistent with this one, however. We’re coming up to the Easter season and Spring. What shall I write about those two things? Shall I ponder true, Spirit-led fasting? The meaning of Lent? It’s a forty day journey of self-examination and preparation for Easter beginning on March 5. I’m looking forward to it.
The Christ Candle: The Light of the World is Jesus
“God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5 The fifth Advent candle is Christ. He is the light of the world because He came into the world from heaven to spread the light of God to all. He not only spread the light, He entered into believing hearts to make his creation full of light. It reminds me of one candle being the source of light for hundreds of smaller candles. Each one burns as brightly as the one before, filling the room with its glow. I am one of those candles, lit by Him the moment I believed and He entered my heart. In the year to come, as I have for the past 37 years, I will…
The Fourth Candle: Peace
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven,and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:13-14 During my growing up years in the sixties and seventies, the Vietnam War was raging. Every night on the news a body count was given. Today there are wars and uprisings all over the world. There is no peace on earth, even during this Christmas season. So what is the peace that Jesus brought to earth when He was born? It is the peace of the heart that trusts Him completely. What if life has knocked me sideways and left me on the road battered and beaten? What if the…