If you know me well, or at least if you read my blog post from Dec. 31st last year, you know I’m not a big fan of New Year’s Eve. I haven’t actually figured out a good way to either explain or justify my disdain for the turn of the calendar except to say that I am just that sentimental. It doesn’t make sense, given that I am a really forward-looking, future-planning person. I’m complicated that way.
Yesterday I was telling my friend Lisa how my head was about to explode because I had spent the day being excessively introspective and analytical about 2009 and was trying to be much too detailed in my planning and laying down a strategy for success in 2010. Lisa laughed as she said she’s too laid back and doesn’t do that enough, and she suggested that she needed to learn more about that. But I actually think I have a lot to learn from her!
One of my goals for 2010 is to spend more time doing some things that I love and miss like being crafty. In searching for some clever ideas, I came across Stephanie Ackerman’s blog, http://www.homegrownhospitality.typepad.com/ . If you are a crafter, you’ll love it! Stephanie has a great idea: word of the year.
I want my word to be significant to the journey I anticipate in 2010 and significant to me as a person. Even better, I want it to be significant to my walk with Christ…A word that I’ll look at, think about, and study continually.
My word for 2010 is surrender.
If you’ve only thought about the secular meaning of it, and haven’t thought much about it in the context of The Kingdom of God, the word surrender can have a negative connotation. However, our surrendering is not only a demonstration of our faith, it also pleases God. It just happens to be really, really hard for us highly type-A chicks who like to take charge of everything and everyone! But in the Kingdom Context surrender doesn’t mean give UP and throw in the towel. In this case it means to give IN and follow Christ, trusting that He is fully in control.
God’s been teaching me a lot about surrender for what seems like years. Apparently I am in the remedial surrender course, & I don’t make the progress He’d like – still trying to control things myself- or I’d have this lesson down by now! But I realize this about myself, and am ready to take it on…I need to take it on.
Matthew 10:39: He that finds his life shall lose it: and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it.
I’ll have to contemplate the word surrender daily and meditate on it to remind myself that I am waving the white flag and allowing God to take total control.
So, I surrender 2009 and my fear of the unknown in 2010.
I surrender my need to do it all. (I believe God calls us to be excellent in all we do…so I’ll do less, but do it excellently and for Him.)
I surrender my need to control.
I surrender my angst about the car (post coming about this).
I surrender the 529, 403B, and all the others (2009 was not kind to our investments!).
I surrender trying to achieve balance.
I surrender school.
I surrender my business.
I surrender my time, my money, my talent.
I surrender my desire to serve where I see the need in order to follow Him where He connects me to the need that only He can see.
I surrender to following His nudges.
I surrender to Him…
I…surrender…
And so here I am, waving that white flag to signal the crossing of the finish line for 2009 and the ushering in of 2010, and I’m giving it all over to God. Every last bit. For when we are willing to become powerless in His name is the exact moment that we gain the ability to accomplish His goals, by His power, for His glory.
And that’s all I’ve ever wanted.
Question: What will your word for 2010 be? Why is that word significant to you?
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
When You Least Expect It
As my boys get older it is becoming harder and harder to make magical Christmas moments – the kind where they scream in delight, pixie dust and glitter is swirling, and time stands still.
This year we accomplished it – it just happened to be 2 weeks before Christmas! Last Sunday the boys were lounging around, trying to talk us into doing something fun. I was complaining about them watching too much football and embellishing a little about all I had to do that day. Then we asked if they’d like an early Christmas present…and what kid would say no to that?
But we did it! We pulled it off! They DID scream in delight - loudly! The pixie dust and glitter DID swirl! Time DID stand still, but just for a minute as the boys realized they were unwrapping tickets to that day’s Colts game! They sprinted upstairs to put on their Colt’s jerseys, we loaded up the car, and we hit the road!
The game was awesome, the experience all we’d hoped for, and the family bonding full-on.
The game ended and we left, having loved every minute of it.
That's when God showed up…
Let me set the scene: We are walking out of Lucas Oil Stadium with the rest of the 65,000 that were there – 65,000. It is chaotic. It is loud, really, really loud. Just outside the door you have to walk through a dark, echoing tunnel. In that tunnel are several guys playing drums, loudly. We are trying to talk about the game, not lose the boys, and hurry since it is cold. I can’t emphasize the noise & chaos enough.
I notice someone I know ahead of me to my left. I watch her. Then I turn my head to the right, make eye contact with the drumming guys and smile while thinking I should throw some money in the bucket by their feet.
Then I look straight ahead and stop dead in my tracks.
Straight in front of me and only a couple of feet from my face is a lady, older than I am. She looks me dead in the eye and here’s what happens next:
She says: Ma’am, do you have $25 so I can feed my kids?
I say: Yes, I do. I carry an envelope for this very purpose.
I lean in close and say: Tell me what you need.
She says: If I had $40 I could get enough food for the week.
I start to fumble in my messy purse, reaching for the envelope that I carry just for this very thing. It is so dark in the tunnel that I can barely see. My family is getting too far ahead of me…the tunnel is too loud – too many people rushing by us, yet time for this lady and me is irrelevant. I’m afraid I’m scaring her as I repeatedly yell to my family to “wait!”
Finally they stop, but are far ahead of me and really have no idea of what is going on.
She helps me hold my purse up so I can see.
I am completely calm and feel no fear.
I pull out a $50 bill.
Before handing it to her I ask: Do you know who this is from?
She answers: Jesus
I reply: Yes, it is and He wants you to know that He loves you.
I hand her the money and I start to cry.
She hugs me tight and says: Don’t cry. He blessed you so you could bless me. I love you.
I say: I love you, too, and I know you’ll be OK. I’ll be praying for you.
We part, I catch up with my family, and that was that.
A miracle right there in that tunnel.
She picked me out of 65,000 people because God nudged her that I was willing and prepared to meet her need. I responded because I was ready and am looking for those miracle encounters every single place I go.
You may think I’ve lost my mind. That’s OK with me.
You may think I'm looking for credit. I'm not. I share this with you, not for credit – for the only credit belongs to God. I share it to illustrate that God is alive and working and wants to do miraculous things at every turn, but we need to be willing to be his hands and feet. If you don’t believe me read, “You Were Born for This” by Bruce Wilkinson. It will change your life and the lives of those around you.
What’s funny is that I’d been hoping to be a miracle delivery agent for days, and every person whom I’d come across had caused me to question, “It is her?” “Is he the one?”, yet nothing - no nudges from God to act. And then on that day, when I was totally focused on my boys’ Christmas joy and pulling off that great Christmas surprise, God had an even bigger Christmas surprise in store for me.
I’ll never forget last Sunday’s events. It was a perfect day from start to finish – every last bit of it. God is crazy like that…just like we used to say in middle school, “When you least expect it...expect it!” It’s a craziness that is hard to explain, but I adore being part of it. My friend Philippe says, “It shouldn’t seem crazy…that’s just how The Kingdom works!” And Philippe is right!
So this Christmas I challenge you to embrace the craziness of an active, living Kingdom of God and be ready to be part of miracles wherever you go!
Question: Do you believe that God delivers miracles today and wants our help in making them happen?
This year we accomplished it – it just happened to be 2 weeks before Christmas! Last Sunday the boys were lounging around, trying to talk us into doing something fun. I was complaining about them watching too much football and embellishing a little about all I had to do that day. Then we asked if they’d like an early Christmas present…and what kid would say no to that?
But we did it! We pulled it off! They DID scream in delight - loudly! The pixie dust and glitter DID swirl! Time DID stand still, but just for a minute as the boys realized they were unwrapping tickets to that day’s Colts game! They sprinted upstairs to put on their Colt’s jerseys, we loaded up the car, and we hit the road!
The game was awesome, the experience all we’d hoped for, and the family bonding full-on.
The game ended and we left, having loved every minute of it.
That's when God showed up…
Let me set the scene: We are walking out of Lucas Oil Stadium with the rest of the 65,000 that were there – 65,000. It is chaotic. It is loud, really, really loud. Just outside the door you have to walk through a dark, echoing tunnel. In that tunnel are several guys playing drums, loudly. We are trying to talk about the game, not lose the boys, and hurry since it is cold. I can’t emphasize the noise & chaos enough.
I notice someone I know ahead of me to my left. I watch her. Then I turn my head to the right, make eye contact with the drumming guys and smile while thinking I should throw some money in the bucket by their feet.
Then I look straight ahead and stop dead in my tracks.
Straight in front of me and only a couple of feet from my face is a lady, older than I am. She looks me dead in the eye and here’s what happens next:
She says: Ma’am, do you have $25 so I can feed my kids?
I say: Yes, I do. I carry an envelope for this very purpose.
I lean in close and say: Tell me what you need.
She says: If I had $40 I could get enough food for the week.
I start to fumble in my messy purse, reaching for the envelope that I carry just for this very thing. It is so dark in the tunnel that I can barely see. My family is getting too far ahead of me…the tunnel is too loud – too many people rushing by us, yet time for this lady and me is irrelevant. I’m afraid I’m scaring her as I repeatedly yell to my family to “wait!”
Finally they stop, but are far ahead of me and really have no idea of what is going on.
She helps me hold my purse up so I can see.
I am completely calm and feel no fear.
I pull out a $50 bill.
Before handing it to her I ask: Do you know who this is from?
She answers: Jesus
I reply: Yes, it is and He wants you to know that He loves you.
I hand her the money and I start to cry.
She hugs me tight and says: Don’t cry. He blessed you so you could bless me. I love you.
I say: I love you, too, and I know you’ll be OK. I’ll be praying for you.
We part, I catch up with my family, and that was that.
A miracle right there in that tunnel.
She picked me out of 65,000 people because God nudged her that I was willing and prepared to meet her need. I responded because I was ready and am looking for those miracle encounters every single place I go.
You may think I’ve lost my mind. That’s OK with me.
You may think I'm looking for credit. I'm not. I share this with you, not for credit – for the only credit belongs to God. I share it to illustrate that God is alive and working and wants to do miraculous things at every turn, but we need to be willing to be his hands and feet. If you don’t believe me read, “You Were Born for This” by Bruce Wilkinson. It will change your life and the lives of those around you.
What’s funny is that I’d been hoping to be a miracle delivery agent for days, and every person whom I’d come across had caused me to question, “It is her?” “Is he the one?”, yet nothing - no nudges from God to act. And then on that day, when I was totally focused on my boys’ Christmas joy and pulling off that great Christmas surprise, God had an even bigger Christmas surprise in store for me.
I’ll never forget last Sunday’s events. It was a perfect day from start to finish – every last bit of it. God is crazy like that…just like we used to say in middle school, “When you least expect it...expect it!” It’s a craziness that is hard to explain, but I adore being part of it. My friend Philippe says, “It shouldn’t seem crazy…that’s just how The Kingdom works!” And Philippe is right!
So this Christmas I challenge you to embrace the craziness of an active, living Kingdom of God and be ready to be part of miracles wherever you go!
Question: Do you believe that God delivers miracles today and wants our help in making them happen?
Hold Tight
Christmas can bring out some intense emotions in people, ranging from the very best to the very worst. It can conjure up memories both dear and horrid, cause both elation and depression, and can make you see people in a whole new light. It can bring out the most giving, caring parts of our souls. And, as stated in Four Christmases (one of my favorite movies of all time), “You can’t spell families without lies”.
We see the very best demonstrated through people’s unselfish giving, through their coming together, through their thinking of others at this time of year unlike any other time.
We see their worst through fighting for deals, cutting other drivers off, stealing the closest parking places from little old ladies that have been waiting with their turn signals on for minutes by flooring it in before they even knew what happened! We see their worst through families bickering over time slots and visitation and who has to travel and even dredging up old hurts for revenge.
We see the extremes in those we know well and dearly love and in those we’ve never even met, but can observe or even feel the ripple effect.
On Thanksgiving I was talking to a family friend who was about to embark on her first-ever “Day After Thanksgiving Sale”. I listed for her the pros and cons and then told her about the first (and last) time I ever shopped on that day. I hate crowds, like sleep waaaay to much to be in the line outside of Target freezing at 4:30 a.m., and then fighting mean spirited people just to save a buck….cause nothin’ says the Birth of the Baby Jesus like being elbowed and trampled to save $20 on a PlayStation Game!!! No thanks!
Then I had to talk my own self off the ledge when I became seriously overwhelmed while trying to make my house look like it was about to be the subject of an HGTV Holiday Special. It was 8:00 on a Sunday night with a big soirée set to happen at my house in a few days. Lights for the tree from last year seemed to have lost their little twinkle…no problem…just run to Target.
But Behold! There were no lights in Target.
Off to Wal-Mart and getting irritated. Behold! No lights there either! Where’s the innkeeper when I need him? As I was scanning the aisle for white lights with a green cord (a combination that is apparently quite in demand yet unbeknownst to most retailers) another lady appeared who was looking for the same thing. I could tell she felt competitive about it, too, as I sensed her growing hostility. (Well, that and the lunges as she prepared to sprint…) I was tired. I was getting crabby. I could not fathom why the corporate buyers couldn’t understand my holiday needs.
I began the self talk: “I will not cry. I will not cry. Birth of the Baby Jesus. Birth of the Baby Jesus.”
Almost 2 hours later I was home finishing the tree, having spent about 3 hours, two trips to CVS, and laying down several more dollars than I should have needed to!
The soirée went off without a hitch and all the little details ended up being put in perspective where they belonged. What’s really funny is yesterday all of the lights on the tree just went out. All of them. I have no idea why…and get this: I don’t even care!
In the last two weeks I’ve had countless reminders about the important little things. I don’t even want anything for Christmas but to spend uninterrupted time with my family, snuggled up watching movies, talking, and having fun.
I just want to hold tight.
I want to remember how lucky I am that they are alive, that no one is in Iraq, that we are healthy, that while we could always have more, we sure have enough. I want to remember how lucky I am to live in this country, to worship freely, and to have opportunities. I want to remember how lucky I am to have someone to hold tight to.
And I want that for you.
This Christmas hold tight to those you love, feel blessed that you can, and let go of all the rest. Hold tight to the promise of that baby in the manger that was born and that died for you and me. And hold tight to the promise of a glorious eternity in Heaven.
Merry Christmas!
Question: What do you most want for Christmas? Why?
We see the very best demonstrated through people’s unselfish giving, through their coming together, through their thinking of others at this time of year unlike any other time.
We see their worst through fighting for deals, cutting other drivers off, stealing the closest parking places from little old ladies that have been waiting with their turn signals on for minutes by flooring it in before they even knew what happened! We see their worst through families bickering over time slots and visitation and who has to travel and even dredging up old hurts for revenge.
We see the extremes in those we know well and dearly love and in those we’ve never even met, but can observe or even feel the ripple effect.
On Thanksgiving I was talking to a family friend who was about to embark on her first-ever “Day After Thanksgiving Sale”. I listed for her the pros and cons and then told her about the first (and last) time I ever shopped on that day. I hate crowds, like sleep waaaay to much to be in the line outside of Target freezing at 4:30 a.m., and then fighting mean spirited people just to save a buck….cause nothin’ says the Birth of the Baby Jesus like being elbowed and trampled to save $20 on a PlayStation Game!!! No thanks!
Then I had to talk my own self off the ledge when I became seriously overwhelmed while trying to make my house look like it was about to be the subject of an HGTV Holiday Special. It was 8:00 on a Sunday night with a big soirée set to happen at my house in a few days. Lights for the tree from last year seemed to have lost their little twinkle…no problem…just run to Target.
But Behold! There were no lights in Target.
Off to Wal-Mart and getting irritated. Behold! No lights there either! Where’s the innkeeper when I need him? As I was scanning the aisle for white lights with a green cord (a combination that is apparently quite in demand yet unbeknownst to most retailers) another lady appeared who was looking for the same thing. I could tell she felt competitive about it, too, as I sensed her growing hostility. (Well, that and the lunges as she prepared to sprint…) I was tired. I was getting crabby. I could not fathom why the corporate buyers couldn’t understand my holiday needs.
I began the self talk: “I will not cry. I will not cry. Birth of the Baby Jesus. Birth of the Baby Jesus.”
Almost 2 hours later I was home finishing the tree, having spent about 3 hours, two trips to CVS, and laying down several more dollars than I should have needed to!
The soirée went off without a hitch and all the little details ended up being put in perspective where they belonged. What’s really funny is yesterday all of the lights on the tree just went out. All of them. I have no idea why…and get this: I don’t even care!
In the last two weeks I’ve had countless reminders about the important little things. I don’t even want anything for Christmas but to spend uninterrupted time with my family, snuggled up watching movies, talking, and having fun.
I just want to hold tight.
I want to remember how lucky I am that they are alive, that no one is in Iraq, that we are healthy, that while we could always have more, we sure have enough. I want to remember how lucky I am to live in this country, to worship freely, and to have opportunities. I want to remember how lucky I am to have someone to hold tight to.
And I want that for you.
This Christmas hold tight to those you love, feel blessed that you can, and let go of all the rest. Hold tight to the promise of that baby in the manger that was born and that died for you and me. And hold tight to the promise of a glorious eternity in Heaven.
Merry Christmas!
Question: What do you most want for Christmas? Why?
Saturday, December 12, 2009
“Your Little Lights Aren’t Twinkling…”
If you know me at all, you know that 50% of what I say is movie quotes that have been woven into my normal conversations. My husband does the very same thing, which makes us almost have a language of our own at times (unless you’ve seen the movies enough times to recognize the quotes).
There are six movies in my top five movies of all time (I know…) and most of the quotes come from those. Especially Christmas Vacation. In fact, quotes from Christmas Vacation are so over-used in our family that it’s really kind of ridiculous…embarrassing even! I love that movie! This year alone I’ve already watched it 5 times and it’s not even the middle of December yet.
One of my favorite parts is when Clark can’t get the exterior illumination to light…all 25,000 bulbs. Clark’s father-in-law points out the obvious, “Your little lights aren’t twinkling…” and Clark answers, “I know, Art, and thanks for noticing.”
I love exterior illumination!! At our house we are much more subtle with the outside lighting, but I’m 100% in favor of other people being completely out of control with it!
I love to notice people’s decorations when I’m driving, especially at night.
It always makes me feel happy…
It even makes me feel connected…
In fact, it makes me feel like I can identify all the other Christians in the world that way.
I want to believe that every single bit of exterior illumination marks the houses of those who believe that Jesus is Lord and that this is the season that we proclaim His power and then we set about living it out loud for the whole rest of the year.
I want to believe this: “Oooo! Pretty lights! They’re celebrating the birth of Jesus.” “Oh, look! They are believers, too!”
Yes, I know that there are a high percentage of non-Christians who are celebrating the secular side of Christmas and that they do in fact have exterior holiday lighting.
Yes, I know that I sometimes live in “Alyssa Land”: a world where all is good, everyone knows Jesus, and everyone loves Christmas as much as Buddy the Elf – but for all the right reasons. Deep down somewhere in me, I know that isn’t real life. But I love to pretend.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if that were true?
Wouldn’t it be amazing if all the lights shouted to the world that the people in those houses loved Jesus…and if you needed help or encouragement or a miracle that those were the doors upon which you should knock?
Wouldn’t it be amazing if the people in every one of those houses went on to live as Christians every single day till it was time to put those lights up again?
Can you imagine?
As we seek Christ, as we find Him, as we follow Him, we shall have the Christmas spirit, not for one fleeting day each year, but as a companion always." -T. S. Monson
Can you imagine if we all really lived out this quote every single one of the 364 remaining days of the year? Every year?
What if we left those lights on all the time, year round, to mark our houses so that other believers could find community and non-believers could seek solace and compassion there?
I know everyone will take them down. I guess we will, too, so as not to be the basis for that line in Redneck Woman. But you can bet that I’m going to make an effort to live a life where my lights are twinkling “the whole year through”…where my lights twinkle as much for the Cousin Eddies & Ruby Sues of the world as they do for my family…where I extend grace equally when trees go up in flames, dogs and squirrels destroy the house, or crazy cousins park worn down RVs in my driveway (maybe not as much for emptying the tank into the storm sewer…) as I do when all is well with the world.
It’ll be hard, but I’ll try.
How about you? Will your little lights be twinkling?
Question: How will you live Christmas “the whole year through”?
There are six movies in my top five movies of all time (I know…) and most of the quotes come from those. Especially Christmas Vacation. In fact, quotes from Christmas Vacation are so over-used in our family that it’s really kind of ridiculous…embarrassing even! I love that movie! This year alone I’ve already watched it 5 times and it’s not even the middle of December yet.
One of my favorite parts is when Clark can’t get the exterior illumination to light…all 25,000 bulbs. Clark’s father-in-law points out the obvious, “Your little lights aren’t twinkling…” and Clark answers, “I know, Art, and thanks for noticing.”
I love exterior illumination!! At our house we are much more subtle with the outside lighting, but I’m 100% in favor of other people being completely out of control with it!
I love to notice people’s decorations when I’m driving, especially at night.
It always makes me feel happy…
It even makes me feel connected…
In fact, it makes me feel like I can identify all the other Christians in the world that way.
I want to believe that every single bit of exterior illumination marks the houses of those who believe that Jesus is Lord and that this is the season that we proclaim His power and then we set about living it out loud for the whole rest of the year.
I want to believe this: “Oooo! Pretty lights! They’re celebrating the birth of Jesus.” “Oh, look! They are believers, too!”
Yes, I know that there are a high percentage of non-Christians who are celebrating the secular side of Christmas and that they do in fact have exterior holiday lighting.
Yes, I know that I sometimes live in “Alyssa Land”: a world where all is good, everyone knows Jesus, and everyone loves Christmas as much as Buddy the Elf – but for all the right reasons. Deep down somewhere in me, I know that isn’t real life. But I love to pretend.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if that were true?
Wouldn’t it be amazing if all the lights shouted to the world that the people in those houses loved Jesus…and if you needed help or encouragement or a miracle that those were the doors upon which you should knock?
Wouldn’t it be amazing if the people in every one of those houses went on to live as Christians every single day till it was time to put those lights up again?
Can you imagine?
As we seek Christ, as we find Him, as we follow Him, we shall have the Christmas spirit, not for one fleeting day each year, but as a companion always." -T. S. Monson
Can you imagine if we all really lived out this quote every single one of the 364 remaining days of the year? Every year?
What if we left those lights on all the time, year round, to mark our houses so that other believers could find community and non-believers could seek solace and compassion there?
I know everyone will take them down. I guess we will, too, so as not to be the basis for that line in Redneck Woman. But you can bet that I’m going to make an effort to live a life where my lights are twinkling “the whole year through”…where my lights twinkle as much for the Cousin Eddies & Ruby Sues of the world as they do for my family…where I extend grace equally when trees go up in flames, dogs and squirrels destroy the house, or crazy cousins park worn down RVs in my driveway (maybe not as much for emptying the tank into the storm sewer…) as I do when all is well with the world.
It’ll be hard, but I’ll try.
How about you? Will your little lights be twinkling?
Question: How will you live Christmas “the whole year through”?
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