Uncategorized

24/7

Christmas is such a wonderful time of year! All the lights and happiness and cheer! For someone who doesn’t really love to decorate, (I love decorations, just not the decorating part haha) I have really felt the “Christmas Spirit” this year and put my tree up the day after Thanksgiving. That never happens! Having a two and half year old little boy has brought the excitement of Christmas up as we start new traditions together!

This is the time of year where we show more patience to the person who cut us off in traffic, or we go visit the nursing home, or we volunteer in some way to show kindness. We yell “Merry Christmas” with a big smile as we leave any place we go. I heard someone say once that its like the life is sucked out of the air on December 26th. But why do we feel it’s easier to be kind and generous when we have the “Christmas Spirit”?

Google defines it as “The spirit of Christmas is in the ‘togetherness’, it’s in the thought to which you put into thinking about others, it’s a selfless time, where we forgive, take stock of what’s important and become ‘better’ versions of ourselves.”

Wow. When we show kindness, gather together, forgive, give to others, all turn our hearts to ‘The Reason for the Season’ who is Jesus, take care of those in need, and become selfless for a season, THEN we all find this incredible joy…. I don’t know about you, but this is a joy I want to carry 24/7 365! Do you know the church is called to live out these attributes all year long?

Acts 2:42 says “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

As Christians, we shouldn’t look any different around Christmas time than we do the rest of the year (preaching to myself here)! We are called to a higher standard and to be different than the world! Let’s continue to carry out this joy and love of Jesus through the real Spirit, the Holy Spirit! Let’s continue in the ways of the early church!

What?

I want to begin with a question: what are you believing for? I’m sure all of us have been in or are in a season of feeling like you’re lacking in an area. Maybe you’ve been battling the thought, “the healing will never come,” or “I’ll never be able to catch up financially,” or “I’ll forever be stuck at this job I hate,” or “I’ll never be able to be a parent,” or “I’ll never have a loyal friend group,” or “I’ll never truly walk in kingdom things,” or….you fill in the blank. All of us need something whether it’s for ourselves or someone else.

In Matthew 14:17-19, Jesus & His disciples face an abundance of need. They need to feed 5,000 plus people & all they had was 5 loaves of bread & 2 pieces of fish from a little boy’s sack lunch. Jesus tells the boy to bring the food to Him, He raises it up to heaven, blesses the food, & God performs a miracle! Every person in the crowd was fed AND they had leftovers. Wow! Jesus believed for multiplication & because of His faith, the Father multiplied the food & thousands of people got to see the glory of God. I want to ask you again, what are you believing for? Let your faith arise! Refuse to be inconsistent in your belief system & faith.

Our Father owns a cattle on a thousand hills, HE KNOWS NO LACK. ”Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”“ Psalms 50:14-15 . Thankfulness moves the heart of the Father & it helps destroy a lack of faith & disbelief.

Be blessed!

Pliable

Let the Creator of This Universe Create the Desires of Your Heart.

“Delight yourself in the LORD,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalms 34:7

I can’t tell you how many times I have read this verse and had these thoughts in my mind, “If I can just do better at serving God, THEN I’ll get what I desire.” “If I can just be good enough, THEN I’ll magically start seeing every earthy desire I’ve ever dreamed of come to pass.”

I think so many times, especially here in America, we have the perception that Christianity is flowers and rainbows constantly. Being a christian is easy, right? No way!

We must be intentional in serving Yahweh! There is no amount of spiritual maturity that is going to make your life easier here on earth, but there is an amount of spiritual maturity that will make your life worth the hardship here on earth!

Let’s read the verse again,

“Delight yourself in the LORD,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalms 34:7

The word “delight” found in the verse is translated to the Hebrew word,

“ânag, aw-nag’; a primitive root; to be soft or pliable.”

We must be soft and pliable towards the things of God! The more we make this a reality in our lives, the more real He will become to us. And He will CREATE NEW DESIRES within us! Our earthy desires no longer hold grip on us because the reality of God’s word becomes more real to us as we become soft and pliable to Him!

Never Forget

All because of love, God gave us The Greatest Gift of all.

John 3:16 “For God so ‘Loved’ the world, He ‘gave’ His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Love is sometimes that we feel, but it is always shown by what we do.

These last few months have been a little difficult, some life changes had to be made that required my time, a lot of thought, and energy. I’ve been overwhelmed and have had a few meltdowns that I have not always handled with grace or mercy.

Making some hard decisions that would alter life for someone that I love, not knowing what I was doing, but just trying to muddle through the best way I knew how. Even in doing all I knew to do, it never seemed enough.

Realizing that I could not do it alone, I finally gave it to God. He has answered multiple prayers during this time, and His love has shown through friends and family that have randomly called and texted just to say that they loved me and were praying for me.

The last few weeks John 3:16 has been repeatedly going through my mind,

For God so loved He gave, He gave it all because He loved, and His love is revealed in the giving of His Son. We learn in this Scripture that we are the object of His love as He has given of Himself to us. He didn’t just feel the precarious situation of a fallen world, He did something about it. As we follow Christ, we can tell people about His love, but when we show them by our actions, that’s what will make the greatest impression.

“Love is the do part of faith, love is never stationary, love doesn’t just keep thinking and planning it, ‘Love Does’ – Bob Goff

Love cannot be shown by words, love takes action.

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His Glory, the Glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

May we never lose sight of ‘The Reason for The Season. We have received the very best Gift that God had to give, His Son, and we as Christians have the opportunity to unwrap that Gift everyday as we pray, read His Word and reveal His love to others.

Merry Christmas

The mission

“So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?””

Mark 8:21 NKJV

Odd verse for Christmas right? Bear with me.

I was verse mapping Mark 8:21 the day Daisy asked me to write, and I feel like Christmas is the beginning of the story.

Jesus came to Earth on a mission and as He left Earth He gave us one. I feel like sometimes He asks me…..

“How is it you don’t understand?”

Some of you know I have a pretty extensive sports background so again bear with me 🤷🏼‍♀️.

Most sports have a playbook of some sorts. A player is expected to study the plays and understand not only their part, but how all the parts fit together to work effectively. The player should memorize it, schedule time to discuss it with the coach and analyze it from all angles. But….. knowing the plays is not the mission. Knowing your role is not the mission. Those are expectations you have to meet in order to be a good team player. The play book is a tool to win the game. Winning the game is the mission.

We have to understand our mission. As Christians we can get so caught up in studying, memorizing and having a quiet time with Jesus that we never get to the mission. We absolutely need to do those things, but they aren’t the end, they are the means.

In Matthew 28:19-20 (memory verse material) He tells us to make disciples and teach them what He taught. In Acts 1:8 He tells His disciples (that’s us now) that once they receive the power of the Holy Spirit they/we will be His witnesses.

Jesus’ time on Earth began at Christmas and ended with the ultimate victory when He went to the cross and rose from the dead! He did so much. You can sense the urgency once He started His ministry. I feel like I’m wasting valuable time. Maybe it’s because I’m getting old, but I want that urgency.

Lord stir us up 🙏🏻

Just the Passenger

“Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”

2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT

No one is super proud of their weaknesses. It’s just not our human nature to say, “Look Mom! I failed the math test!” Or “Wow, I am so proud of myself for getting impatient with the slow cashier.” Uh…no.

Paul is writing to tell us that it’s not what our weakness does for us but it’s what Jesus can do through our weaknesses. Every time we are weak it’s an opportunity for us to surrender to Jesus and say, “Okay, I’m not very good at this, but I know You are greater and can make all things possible. Please use me and help me, Lord ”

The best way to tap into God’s grace when we need it in our weakest moments is through stopping, taking a deep breath, and praying. Prayer allows us to focus our attention on a Father who always has a helping hand stretched out when we need it most.

I pray today you realize your weakness isn’t about you. Your weakness is about giving Jesus the wheel and saying, “You’ve got this better than I do.”

-HJ ❤️

Thankful Heart

A Thankful Heart is a Happy Heart

The Veggie Tales sang about it… and it is true.

Our memory verse this month has been Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.”

Where is your treasure? Where is your mind’s eye? What has your heart?

What thing or event or problem or worry or person or approval do you keep coming back to over and over?  What do you think of when you wake up and as you go to sleep?

We’ve already started watching our favorite holiday movies. If you’ve seen A Christmas Story you know, Ralphie wants, “an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle!” But would you say Ralphie was happy – of course not!  In all his longing and scheming and obsessing- he was miserable.

You are probably not longing for an air-rifle…. Maybe not even a thing at all.  Maybe your heart is heavy with grief or your thoughts are drawn to concern over your children and their hearts and their futures… like mine…

Yes, God gave me these amazing humans to raise, but if I think about them – oh, the anxiety!  However, if I think about God, the sovereign, omniscient, omnipresent, creator king who loves me, died for me,  and provides for me- WOW!  It all melts away.  They are His!  I am His! You are His!

May you rest in His peace.  May you truly find contentment in His provision.  May you fall asleep counting your blessings.

Psalm 84[a]

For the director of music. According to gittith.[b] Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
    Lord Almighty!

2 My soul yearns, even faints,
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
    for the living God.

3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
    and the swallow a nest for herself,
    where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
    Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
    they are ever praising you.[c]

5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
    whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
    they make it a place of springs;
    the autumn rains also cover it with pools.[d]

7 They go from strength to strength,
    till each appears before God in Zion.

8 Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;
    listen to me, God of Jacob.

9 Look on our shield,[e] O God;
    look with favor on your anointed one.

10 Better is one day in your courts
    than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
    from those whose walk is blameless.

12 Lord Almighty,
blessed is the one who trusts in you.

Gratitude

November is the month where most people concentrate on giving thanks all the way up to Thanksgiving Day. On Thanksgiving Day there is a high possibility most people go around the table and say what they are thankful or grateful for or if nothing else an attitude of thankfulness is present in some way or another. Today is the day after Thanksgiving and we are nearing the end of the month of “thankfulness”. We are getting ready to shift our minds to the busyness of Christmas and all that comes with it, but let’s all just stop now and remember our thankfulness and gratitude should not just be a seasonal thing but a part of our daily lives.

Do you ever wonder if there is a difference between being thankful and grateful? I mean they usually just go hand in hand.

Both are most definitely an intentional choice. The definition of thankful is the expression of gratitude, especially to God, for us christians. It is an earnest and thankful prayer expressing gratitude and relief.

Gratitude is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and return kindness. So I know it’s a bit of a stretch but to me I feel like to be thankful is a feeling and to be grateful is more of an action we can take. It is a way to show thanks for the things we have been blessed with and in turn we bless others. This is pleasing to God because being thankful and then showing gratitude is a part of God’s plan for us. When we have a true relationship with God, He actually expects it of us.

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Thessalonians 5:18

So how do we show God our gratitude? We should walk in love. We should live in peace and forgiveness and use every breath that we have to praise God. He wants us to spread His word so that no one should perish without Him. We need to show compassion and humility and be patient and gentle with everyone we encounter.

When we have these characteristics we as christians will draw people in. People see and want to know more about why we have peace, thankfulness, and gratitude in our lives even in the midst of trials and tribulations we may be facing.Have you ever been having the best day and encounter someone who is constantly negative and critical? It kind of brings your mood down a little, right? That is why we have to choose to walk in gratitude and be mindful as to not turn someone away from the gospel by our attitude in the moment.

When we have a spirit of thankfulness and praise to our Heavenly Father it produces Godly actions that others can see.

Remember we have a Creator that created us to carry out His plan. He created each and every one of us for a unique purpose. We belong to Him and when we let His peace rule our hearts we should have nothing but gratitude. Our hearts will be full of love and we will want to tell everyone that we cross paths with. If this doesn’t cause you to want to scream Hallelujah then nothing will!! Praise God!!!!

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:15-17

Count it all

I was not feeling very thankful as I spent several sleepless nights with my newborn earlier this year. I was convinced I was the only person in the world awake at times enduring such a struggle. I found myself very discouraged; this was supposed to be a joyful time. I decided to write down Bible verses and prayers on several post-it notes. I placed these post-it notes all over my daughter’s room as a constant reminder to remain steadfast through this short trial. Crazy enough, that sweet baby decided to start sleeping much better within days. Thank you, Jesus! 

The difficult seasons provide a clear opportunity to draw closer to the Lord. I’ve found this to be true when I take the time to reflect on my life and what has shaped me as a Christian. Sometimes it takes a season of trial to produce an obvious need for the Lord. A need for the Lord can be found anywhere at any time. If you already follow Jesus, then the difficult seasons can produce fruits of the spirit and steadfastness of faith. We all need Jesus for our hard circumstances. I am thankful for a God that is present and faithful through all seasons of life.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”

‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭

Clean slate

I decorate sugar cookies. You know, the ones with the pretty icing and the neat designs. This past summer, I had a cookie order due and for whatever reason my icing would not set correctly. I decorated the cookies like I usually did, I waited for the icing to set, and it just wasn’t happening.

You see, usually the icing is smooth and shiny. Crunchy, but not too hard. The icing in front of me was messy, bumpy, and it was not cooperating.

Hold on, y’all, there’s a point to this story.

The order was due two days later, so I had a little bit of time to make it right. I decided to scrape the icing off the cookies. I made new icing and tried it again.

Again, the icing didn’t turn out. It was messy… the cookies were looking flat out ugly. As I scraped the icing off for the second time, the Lord spoke to me. It took my breath away.

I scraped all that ugly icing off the sugar cookie, and it was a clean slate. All of the ugly was gone. Just like the Lord does with us…. He takes all of our ugly and washes it away. We have a new slate.

Every single time we fail him, He forgives our sins. He scrapes all the ugly away. Every. Single. Time.

At the time I was very frustrated that my icing wasn’t cooperating, but the lesson was worth it. How blessed we are to serve a God who is faithful and just to forgive our sins time and time again! Give God your ugly, messy, or imperfect slate—He’ll wipe it clean.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

2 Corinthians 5:17