Christmas

Overcommitted

Knowing when to say “no” has become my kryptonite. I know that I’m not the only one who has this struggle nor have I been the only one seen as the poster child for “overcommitted” – yet, as I read the Word I find that saying “no” can be a blessing I need. 

As Jesus walked the earth, He journeyed from town to town, often healing the sick, sometimes raising the dead, and performed other miracles as He saw fit. Yet as He went, He did not go and heal every sick person in every town. He was selective, and while we’ll never know the purpose behind His choices, we can reflect our way of doing ministry off His example. 

He didn’t heal every person He met, or walk on every sea He went to. He didn’t multiply every meal or raise every dead person. In short, He didn’t partake in every potential miracle or ministry moment that presented itself. He didn’t do everything there was to be done, so neither should we. 

We cannot outrun or avoid responsibility as a Christian. We have a job to do and that is to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28). The job God commands us to do needs us to be rested and prepped for the divine appointments He will orchestrate. If we are too busy because we can’t say “no,” how can we prepare and rest for these moments?

In Colossians 3:23, I find that God desires excellence, not perfection. So- aim for excellence, and if you notice something holding you back from achieving it, adjust accordingly. We live in an overcommitted, under-rested world but we ourselves do not need to live this way. If Jesus chose moments of ministry and moments of rest, we can too:)

Love does not envy

Love does not envy. It does not boast.

Envy in this verse takes the form of an onomatopoetic word mimicking the sound of water so hot that’s it bubbling or boiling over. Picture that! Being envious is no way to live life – no matter the type of relationship. Envy is a deep root that creeps and crawls through every other aspect of your life.

God, let us be so full of you, so confident in your love for us, that we know that we are not lacking. God, let us be so full of you that there are no missing parts that we covet from others. Envy is truly the lack of peace that only having a close knit relationship with God brings.

In the same manner, help us not to brag about the things – or the love – that we give others. Help us have true servant’s hearts that give without wanting anything in return. We don’t need praise. We don’t need glory. We don’t need the accolades. We just want to serve you all the days of our life.

God, help us to continue to grow closer to you so that we can in fact love others the way you do. Amen.

The announcement

Back in the day, before we flooded timelines with baby pics, families would make announcements of baby arrivals in the local papers. In those black and white pages you could find families sharing all the details— parents’ names, baby’s name, gender, birth date, weight, length, and many times names of siblings and grandparents. It was like an invitation telling the whole town to join in on the excitement of the birth of their new baby.

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:8-11 KJV

This birth announcement we read in the black and white pages of the bible isn’t about a typical birth. It’s not just about parents bringing a child into the world; it’s about a divine plan that God Himself orchestrated.

This birth was announced 700 years earlier by the prophet Isaiah— “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” Isaiah 9:6

The announcement of Jesus’ birth surpasses as a simple birth announcement; it serves as a universal proclamation, resounding as both your personal announcement and mine. You and I can fill in the blanks with our names. “For unto _________________ a child is born, unto ______________ a son is given.”

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news.” The words of Isaiah 52:7 celebrate the messengers who carry these good tidings, proclaiming them on the mountains and beyond.

Today there remains the timeless call to share the news far and wide. Christ’s birth serves as a reminder that we are all welcomed into the extraordinary story of redemption— a divine orchestration revealed in His arrival.

Go tell it on the mountain

Over the hills and everywhere

Go, tell it on the mountain

That Jesus Christ is born.

Be still. And know.

The last three and a half months have been the hardest months of my life. They have also been some of the most transformative months of my life. I graduated college, watched my mom get diagnosed with and beat cancer, and finished my first semester of graduate school.

A few weeks ago, when I was sitting at my desk, wanting to give up completely, God dropped something into my spirit: “Don’t place a period where God has placed a comma and don’t place a comma where God has placed a period.” It was a lot to take in. I had never heard this before but after doing a quick Google search (of course), I realized it was a quote that has been referred to quite a lot. “What does this mean?” I thought.

While we often hear to follow the Lord’s call and to trust, leaning not on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6), what happens when we are standing at a crossroads, uncertain of the next step to take, and feel as though we are not hearing from God? In a world that never seems to slow down, where the constant rush can make it tough to find a moment of stillness, God’s wisdom reminds us to: “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

At times, when we feel as though we lack a sense of communication from God and it feels like His response is taking longer than expected, we tend to default, pursuing our own desires and decisions. We don’t want to wait for an answer, so we create our own, which can lead us down roads we were never meant to go down.

Sometimes being still is the only way to truly hear what God is telling us. Trust me – this is something that I constantly struggle with. Impatience can truly diminish what God is trying to do through us if we do not listen. Throughout the past several months, many people have told me that God was showing others His strength through my weakness. It sounds great and noble until you are the one that He is working in and through doing this.

Through these months though I have learned a lot of things about myself and about God. Sometimes He answers our prayers right away, sometimes it takes months or years to see Him bring them to fruition. Regardless, we are called to remain faithful, trusting that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6).

If you are holding on to that dream that God has placed in your heart, afraid that it is too late or not the “right time,” remember this: don’t place a period where God has placed a comma. Don’t give up on that dream. The same is true for those pushing hard to sustain something – be it a job, a relationship, or a dream – yet sensing it does not align with God’s plan for you. In these cases, resist the urge to place a comma where God has distinctly placed a period.

May this inspire others to embrace patience, remain steadfast in faith, trust in the unfolding beauty of the journey’s God has placed us on, and encourage us to remain still and know He alone is God and He is good.

The fog

I could feel the fog creeping in last week.

That funky, junky holiday fog.

It happens every year around this time.

I didn’t want history to repeat itself,

so I let the Lord in.

I asked Him to search me and shine His light.

Instead of revealing stress or the need for rest, my usual opponents, He showed me misplaced and mismanaged expectations 🎄🫣

Expectation is awaiting something that has not happened yet. It is the longing for something we don’t yet have.

The Lord showed me how I had allowed the worldly pressures to overshadow the holy expectation of Christmas.

I pressured myself to keep up with

the ever-changing holiday aesthetics.

I expected myself to single-handedly

make all of the holiday magic.

I pushed myself to make it all

presentable and picture-perfect.

For so many years, I tried to resist the world’s way of creating chaos in the middle of Christmas. Yet, here I was folding to unrealistic expectations.

I was hoping that holiday festivities would bring joy,

instead of looking to the One Who is my joy.

I was longing for a perfect Advent season,

instead of setting my eyes on the Reason.

I refuse to let worldly expectations

shadow the light of the newborn King.

So, I will put down the pressures of this world

and refocus on the King of the World.

The One who has fulfilled every longing.

The One who has exceeded expectation.

The One who is the center of our hope.

We can rest in that truth this season,

as we celebrate His birth and

eagerly expect His final arrival ✨

We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including new bodies he has promised us.

Romans 8:23-25

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

Philippians 3:20

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!

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 🙏🏻

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

When

November. It’s the month for thankfulness.

Do we know the power our thankfulness holds? Truly?

The story of the feeding of the 5,000 is a beautiful example.

I don’t know if you’ve ever been responsible for feeding thousands of men, women, and children who were hungry, but I can only imagine the amount of resources it would take to accomplish the task. Jesus and the disciples were presented with five loaves and two small fish as the only source of food to be found amongst the crowd, and their reactions were stark in contrast. The disciples said, “This is all we have! What are we supposed to do?!” (Luke 9:13-14 paraphrased) I have to be honest, I’d be in panic mode just like they were, because that amount of food wouldn’t feed my family of five let alone five thousand. However, it’s not the heart of the disciples we are aiming for…It’s Christ’s.

What did Jesus do when presented with an overwhelming need that he could have allowed to consume him? He gave thanks for what was provided. He could have responded the same way his disciples did. He was human after all. But, He didn’t. What did Heaven do in response to His thanks?

The Father blessed and multiplied the loaves and fish! The disciples saw and focused on the lack of their ability to successfully provide a meal for everyone there that day. And while Jesus saw the same thing, He knew the Father could do much with little. He didn’t focus on the little they had but rather what He knew the Father could do with it, and He was thankful. His thankfulness was the key that unlocked the door to the miracle that happened that day.

When we are thankful for what we hold and have trust for what HE holds, there’s no limit to what we will BEHOLD.