His Presence

His Presence

Standing between you and your enemy

Life is messy and life continues to be a great teacher. I was thinking about my last post and "the God who is NOT safe" and I stick by that and I find that this is a part of who the Holy God of the Bible is and not something I came up with out of my imagination. One of the messiest parts of life is in relationships. One of the truths of the Bible that not every Christian subscribes to unfortunately is that we do not war against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6). If we can look at our brother or sister in Christ and know this truth, no matter how difficult the circumstances, the person before me is not my enemy then there is a greater chance of working things out with that person. One of the greatest sins of Church of the 21st century is treating and believing that our brother or sister in Christ is the enemy. If the strive between us is too great for God then what kind of God are we serving.

Our earthly fathers are just that, earthly. Families have kids that just can't get along. But if we can see that our Almighty Father God is to be feared by the enemy, the common enemy of believers, namely Satan we will come to a place where reconciliation can happen. Satan is the one who wants us to be at each others throats and when we are able to come together, trembling in the Presence of our Father, He will give us eyes to see who the real enemy is and the peace that surpasses all human understanding will be ours in the Presence of a Fearsome God.

In First Peter it says that we are to humble ourselves under the Mighty Hand of God. We know that this "mighty" hand is also a "loving" hand. I don't know about you but when I am facing the enemy that first Peter talks about, the one who is looking to devour me, I want the Mighty Hand to be there to win the battle for me. Satan is no match for God because God is NOT safe. And saying that does not negate the fact that God is love, God is holy, God is just, God is merciful, God is all powerful and all knowing.

Do me a favor think of 3 people that you know really well, who you love deeply and they love you deeply? Are you not fascinated by who they are as a person? Are you still discovering things about them that you never knew? Are they just one dimensional? Most will answer: Yes, Yes and No. If we are imperfect people and we can say that about these dear ones then we who believe in this Perfect, Triune, Living God must say:

I am fascinated by this God who cares about the details of my life who is both the Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God!

And

If I lived to be 100 years old, I will still be discovering things about this Incredible God until I see Him face to face.

The God who Created the Universe, who held back the Red Sea, who sent His Own Son to die for Our sins, who Raised His Son from the Dead, who chose ordinary people to carry the Message of Our Great Salvation to the ends of the earth, whose Story is written from Genesis to Revelation in a book that has stood the test of time and has been preserved by His Divine Intervention and is one continuous Story woven throughout the lives of those who believe and those who don't, can not be measured.

This is the God who is our Refuge and in His Presence the enemy is anything but safe.

Dangerous

A Mighty God

^8"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Isaiah 55; 8 & 9

"God is GOOD but He is NOT SAFE....He is trustworthy but He did ordain pain." Tullian Tchividjian preaching on Job

I wrote this quote on my Facebook status and my friend Brenda asked me to elaborate and it is right along some of the lines that I have been thinking about lately. Who God is: the character of God. There is a problem with the view of God is ALL Loving which quite often means ALL Loving and nothing else. How often do we define the Love of God by human standards? If something is distasteful, hard to understand, difficult to describe and just outright hard to swallow, then My God would not do that, say that, have the authors of the Bible write that or assign that to GOD. My God is Good all the time. This is a distortion that I believe has permeated the modern American Christian church and it has touched me as much as any other American Christian.

So the last 5 years, the LORD has drawn me, to take a closer at Him for all that He is including not being safe. I don't think it is a case of semantics, God may lead us through dangers and what some may say is not safe AND ALMIGHTY GOD is NOT Safe. I will do my best to stick to this one characteristic of GOD, The Lion of Judah.

In my comment to my status I quoted from C.S. Lewis' The Horse and His boy from the Chronicles of Narnia.

The character Aslan, the Lion (for those not familiar with the story) is the one speaking with the boy, Shasta toward the end of the book:

"I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the Horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to receive you."

"Then it was you who wounded Aravis?"

"It was I"

"But what for?"

"Child," said the Voice, "I am telling you your story, not hers. I tell no one any story but his own."

Aslan is the character who represents Christ throughout the Chronicles. He is also the only character that is in all 7 books. I do not believe this is a misrepresentation of the Triune God. The One whose character is written of from Genesis to Revelation. At this point, I am thinking that I could make this a series of posts.

Let us start with Genesis and see His character displayed. A global flood sent by Almighty God, only Noah and His family survive:

"The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. ⁷So the LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them." ⁸But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD." Genesis 6; 5-8

Abraham pleads with the LORD not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah

Abraham goes back and forth with the Lord in Genesis 18 and finally at the end of the discourse, the Lord says, "For the sake of the ten I will not destroy it." I suppose if you have read the Bible or even if you haven't, most people have heard references to Sodom and Gomorrah and know what happened:

^15"As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city." ¹⁶But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. ¹⁷And as they brought them out, one said, "Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away." ¹⁸And Lot said to them, "Oh, no, my lords. ¹⁹Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die. ²⁰Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!"²¹He said to him, "Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. ²²Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there." Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

²³The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. ²⁴Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven. ²⁵And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.²⁶But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt." Genesis 19; 15-26

I hate to quit writing now. (Still in Genesis) This Fearsome God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac! WHAT?! Nations are going to be blessed through the descendants of a burnt offering? Wood on the back of Isaac, the fire and a knife in the hands of Abraham and Isaac asks, "Where is the Lamb?" The question must have made Abraham's blood run cold, what would you say to the one who you were about slay? Would you be weak in the knees? Abraham trusted God enough to what? Raise Isaac from the dead? He trusted God so much he was able to say, "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." Genesis 22; 8

So, I am in the Old Testament that is the beginning of the story of Our God who is the same yesterday, today and forever. Did God change at Matthew 1; 1? I don't think so. From Genesis 1 God says, Let Us make man in Our image. God, the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit were present throughout Old Testament and continuing in the New. He is Unchanging. This Fearsome, Just, Almighty, Righteous, Merciful and Loving God is to be feared, to be loved and to be honored. God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, three persons in One God is to be known for Who He is not who we want Him to be.

As is listed in my religious views on my Facebook Profile, "I see through a mirror dimly." It is my desire to get to know my Heavenly Father for who He is and this far into the journey, I think that I am just scratching the surface and I have a feeling that is how I will feel at the end of my journey here on earth. Lately, I am discovering more and more who God is and doing my best to keep my eyes and ears open. It is a humbling path because there have been times when I thought I knew who my God was and that was the problem, He was My God and not the One who had rescued me from sin and death. My prayer is that I remain teachable for the rest of my life and never to stop hungering and thirsting for the Living God.

Peace,

Catherine ie Caitriona

Preparing for the Real World

(Originally drafted 10/30/10)

Warning: Some content of this blog may be offensive to some. Please leave a comment.

I would love to have a lively exchange.

I just finished reading an article by Alex Chediak about College and learning from professors on typical American College Campuses who have something to offer simply because of common grace. It was an article worth reading. Dr. Chediak is also the author of Thriving at College: making great friends, keep your faith and get ready for the real world. It was that last phrase, get ready for the real world that flooded my mind with some memories and caused me to get my computer and sit down to write.

Once our children became school age one of the criticisms of our educational choices for them was this: "By keeping your children out of school, you are keeping your children from experiencing the real world. It is not right for you to do that to them." That's right, I was looking to harm my children. NOT. There are a select few parents who educate their children at home who isolate them in a very unhealthy manner. I am not one of them.

In the early years we were asked time and time again to defend our position, funny thing is that those who have their kids in public or private school were rarely asked to defend themselves. It was tough going sometimes and I wanted to turn it around on those whose kids were in schools and at the same time not put my friends and family on the defensive. Not to avoid the questioning and also knowing that being put on the spot I would not be speaking just for me but for a whole community of people who had made the same educational choice that we did.

Back to the real world, Is the classroom the real world? For those who believe that all children ought to be in a classroom with a "qualified and trained teacher" for their best waking hours and at least 36 of the 52 weeks of the year then the answer would be yes, that is the real world for children, it is where they belong. In some respects people who believe this have just 5 short years to prepare their children to be launched into this real world. Even though these parents delegate the responsibility of their children to other adults more often than not the teacher is not someone that they pick or even know. Children do not distinguish between responsibility and authority, so Johnny eventually gives more weight to the words and beliefs of his teacher than his parents. It may not happen right away but given a little time, it is often the result. Education is not neutral on values.

However, "the real world" is not segregated by age and not everybody works 9 to 5 and not all children learn best by sitting still in their seats with someone stuffing their little heads with information both true and false.

Community Members Wanted

Community members

wanted

for

DONE

(Debate Only in New England)

Tournament

January 21 & 22, 2011

(Friday and Saturday)

at

The Fellowship

604 Foundry Street Easton, MA

Dear Members of the Community of Easton and its surrounding towns,

One week from Friday Debaters from all over the Northeast will come to the town of Easton to compete in their first qualifying tournament for the 2011 NCFCA Season. These young people have been working hard this past fall to prepare to enter this arena to sharpen their skills, compete with excellence and enjoy the process.

"Tournaments have two concrete requirements: rooms and judges." *

We have the rooms and a roster of competitors. Now we need to fill a number of judging slots in order to make this tournament run.

So we kindly invite you to come and judge these young people who are our future leaders. Community members who have served in the past haven't given high praise to the quality of these young communicators and often have renewed hope in this future generation.

Anyone willing to judge can register at our website If you need further assistance just leave a comment with your email address or email me at macsgrill@gmail.com and I will get back to you asap.

Judge registration www.ncfcajudges.com

Thank you,

Catherine

*NCFCA Judge Philosophy 2005

A friend of mine from Texas (I am blessed with a few Texans that I can call friends) used to say, "Life is a wonderful awful mix." I whole heartily agree. I am looking to figure a number of things out this year including the direction of this blog. It has been a great first weekend and I am exhausted.

Just remember each day is new you don't always have to wait til January 1st.

Days of Auld Lang Syne

In the early hours of the new year, I found myself reading about a song I kinda know and you kinda know but until today, I had never fully heard the words. It reminded me of being a sixteen year old girl who was a lector in the church I grew up in and not being able to hear or understand the words I was reading. The song is Auld Lang Syne. Did you sing it or hear others singing it last night? Or perhaps you know all the words and you actually know what you are singing.

I was at a party last night and we raised a glass to ring in the new year (a non-alcoholic one for me) and then a few people sang the song and I listened. My ears were opened today as I read this article from yesterday's Wall Street Journal by Peggy Noonan. In essence the song says, Remember the people who have touched your lives, those you have met along the pilgrim highway. Often, I have wanted to write about those people who have touched my life and highlight how they have affected me but often it is far too personal to be specific. Let's just say that the blessings of friends and family have far outweighed the wounds that I have received in this life.

Happy New Year to all that I have encountered upon this journey in 2010. At the risk of offending some, I will list these dear people and if you ought to be included here please comment and remind me of our meeting on the road of life this past year.

Dan, Grace, Katie and Michael Mullaney: my immediate family.

Billy and Kelly Mullaney, Barry and Mary Mullaney, Bill Mullaney (dad), Jimbo and Karen Mullaney, Ellen and Paul Lippens, Shosh and Paul Babson, Smully, Paul A. MacDonald, Peter and Tammie MacDonald, Laura MacDonald, Paul and Joan MacDonald (dad and mum): our extended families.

Now I will got back in hopes that none will be forgot:

Becky and Cliff Mort, Mike and Kim Abendroth, Nancy Myers, Dave and Vida Farrar, Marie Steinmann, Fran Walken, Flo Paras, Marie and Tom Bertrand, Charlie and Elaine Crane, Cindy and Scott Farrar, Steve and Janet Cooley, Deb and Dana Peterson, Bruce and Lori Pelissier, David MacAdam, Joanne and Glenn Gray, Steve and Carol Gray, Elizabeth Kehoe, BonnieJean Wiebe, Kristen Neprud, Devan Wiebe, Diane and Clark Pitchford, Pam and Kenny Hopkins, Kelly and Phil Bower, Eunice and Au Au, Dina Webb, Cathy Creed, Misun Min, Helen Kim, Mary and Jeff Weix, Little Joe, Joe the Builder, Howard, Marilyn, Marcia, Charlie, John, John, Lorraine, Mr. Norton (Karen Mullaney's dad) Uncle Bill, Lorraine, Cousin Anna, Eileen, Elena, all the old men regulars at Endicott Variety, Sharon Scanell, Gail and John Lefferts (There are more I am sure but it has been a crazy 24 hours).

Again, I am reminded that people matter. It is in the context of human relationships that we continue to become who we are because we have been a part of one another's lives in big and small ways.

A new day and a new year is an opportunity for renewed hope.

Today I am sharing a video by one of the 3 people that I have had the pleasure of giving birth to and raising and living with over the last nearly 18 years.

Mostly, O Holy Night!

So, there are some great Christmas songs out there and there are some not so great ones and then the snarky and the all out anti-Christmas ones. The ones that rail out against poverty and cry out in pain like Father Christmas by the Kinks. It is a pretty angry song but not unlike much of the brokenness in this world behind that anger is a whole lot of hurt.
This year has been different for me. The brokenness of human relationships has pounded my mind and torn open scars in my heart. Usually, the music of the season is going so long (an October start) and so loud in my car and in my home that by December 14th my family is pretty much done with me and my Christmas music.
October came and I did started to listen to Christmas music a little bit. I texted a friend to see when she started to listen to the songs of celebration and she responded with "the day after game day" which would be 2 days after Thanksgiving and then she wrote, "Mostly O Holy Night." I have that one by 7 different artists. It is really the only one that I have paid attention to this season.
Going to my computer I wanted to find out the history of the song. These are the words we normally sing:
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
'Til He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! O hear the angels' voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.
Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise men from Orient land.
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friend.
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, Before Him lowly bend!
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
His power and glory evermore proclaim.

Incarnation: Emmanuel, God is with us. Strangely, I have felt at a loss at how to celebrate and acknowledge that the Creator of the Universe took on flesh and walked among us. I guess you might say I am on a search for simplicity.
The above words of O Holy Night is John Sullivan Dwight's translation. The original song was derived from French poet Placide Cappeau. Here is the literal English translation:
Midnight, Christians, it is the solemn hour,
When God-man descended to us
To erase the stain of original sin
And to end the wrath of His Father.
The entire world thrills with hope
On this night that gives it a Savior.
People kneel down, wait for your deliverance.
Christmas, Christmas, here is the Redeemer,
Christmas, Christmas, here is the Redeemer!
May the ardent light of our Faith
Guide us all to the cradle of the infant,
As in ancient times a brilliant star
Guided the Oriental kings there.
The King of Kings was born in a humble manger;
O mighty ones of today, proud of your greatness,
It is to your pride that God preaches.
Bow your heads before the Redeemer!
Bow your heads before the Redeemer!
The Redeemer has overcome every obstacle:
The Earth is free, and Heaven is open.
He sees a brother where there was only a slave,
Love unites those that iron had chained.
Who will tell Him of our gratitude,
For all of us He is born, He suffers and dies.
People stand up! Sing of your deliverance,
Christmas, Christmas, sing of the Redeemer,
Christmas, Christmas, sing of the Redeemer!

This is the first year in many years that I did not purchase any additional music to add to my December collection. I never got off the ground with my usual listening tradition. A couple of Boston radio stations started their holiday tunes in November and I found myself changing the station once I heard the voice of Johnny Mathis or Bing Crosby or The Carpenters.


I came very close to abandoning all of the usual traditions. However, we had already made plans with extended family and I had committed to hosting one side and attending the other side's festivities. I did manage to enjoy being with extended family. Of course, we are very happy to have our "girls" home even while having to continue to adjust to their adult status. The relatives wanted to see them too.

I really want to think about revisiting the idea of simplifying Christmas for 2011 perhaps in February. There are traditions that are worth keeping: like reflecting on the Babe in the Manger, singing and enjoying Christmas music, seeing relatives and friends.

Be Ready

Today we will prepare for our oldest daughter, Grace to come home. She is back in the Commonwealth and went straight to helping out dear friends. There are lots of things to prepare for in this life before they come to pass. Be ready. People make incredible and often elaborate plans for a wedding and little preparation for marriage: get ready to have a baby but fail to prepare for parenting; focus on the Babe in the manger and forget that His entrance was made in the shadow of The Cross.

Many Americans go ALL out for Christmas and usually, I am one of them. There is lots of preparations involved. Playing Christmas music and singing along, black Friday, baking, decorating, shopping, making lists, checking them twice, Christmas parties, The Tree, spending lots of money, Holiday concerts, writing Christmas cards and letters, shopping, putting up the Advent Calendar (hey look at that, something I actually did this year), deciding when to get together with the in-laws ( a check mark here as well;-), time to reflect on what we are celebrating.

It Did cross my mind that in the traditional sense, I am not ready and not worried about it either. What a gift from God. I have been poked and questioned about my lack of action but remained unmoved for the most part. This morning I sat down to read my Bible (nothing unusual there) and came to a passage in Isaiah:

"It will be said on that day, Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."

Isaiah 25;9

Jesus is the One who came. He has given us the gift of salvation. He will come again. Preparation for the remembrance of our God becoming flesh, yes I have done it during this season of Advent but instead of it being a family affair, it has been something, I have been quietly doing myself. (Our family is in one of the great seasons of parenting: some call it "launching arrows, others "sending out the eaglets" or "birthing adults." I freely admit that I am not doing a perfect job and at times find myself treating these adults like children. There is a lot of coming and going happening.)

Some Jews, Simeon and Anna, the Prophetess, Joseph and Mary, Mary's cousin Elizabeth and her husband, Zechariah, the lowly shepherds and others recognized Jesus as the Christ. All of Israel was waiting for their Messiah and some are still waiting. We, Christians await Jesus Second Coming. He will not come in the same manner as the first coming but as the Warrior Kin in power and might. And we say, Maranatha! (translated means Come Lord Jesus Come!)

Are we prepared for the Return of the Reigning King? Do we care? When Jesus does return will He find faith on the earth? I hope so. I want to be found ready: walking in the Truth with the Truth by the Truth in the stream of His Love empowered by His Spirit, loving God and Loving others, being about the business of building His Kingdom for His glory.

The food will be eaten, the drinks drunk, the songs sung and gifts given. Then we will turn the calendars to January 2011, a new year and hopefully continuing to prepare for the Return of God's One and Only Son.

I say Rejoice, Rejoice Emmanuel shall come to you O Israel.

Hope

I am really having trouble with posting my Advent Foretold posts and I still haven't figured it out. Perhaps, the revisiting of this devotional is for my personal benefit and not to be shared. Honestly, I have had a hard time getting into the Christmas Spirit this year. Tonight I am planning to go to a Christmas party and I am thinking that I want to just skip it. It is out of character for me. I am one of those people who drives her family crazy because I start listening to Christmas music in October. I am listening to some right now but even the music, I have been "eh," take it or leave it.

Nevertheless, Jesus Christ is the Hope of Glory, He is the Word who became flesh and He is the Light of the World. Jesus Christ is the Joy of our Salvation. He is the Alpha and the Omega and nothing I desire can compare with Him. My zeal, my love, my passion for my Lord has actually increased over the last few months, as I begin to see the Beauty of His Holiness. You read that right "begin." O Christians do you not believe what it says in the second letter to the Corinthians, "Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day?"

Now that I am writing I remember a song by my friend David MacAdam and in this song he writes, "Christmas can be everyday of the year when Jesus does your living. No longer a slave to yourself must you be when you can be forgiven." Yes, each day, I get up and say yes, LORD thank you for another day. With you there is Hope and with your Holy Spirit and by Your power will I live out this day. When (not if) I stumble and fall, your forgiveness, grace, mercy and yes, hope is right there enabling me to carry on. With this hope, I desire to bring life, joy, grace, truth, love and hope to each person I encounter because I have a personal relationship with the One who was born of a virgin, hailed as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, is called Immanuel, at birth was King of Kings, Lord of Lords. Jesus is the One who has given me His Holy Spirit. It is this Spirit that I need each and every day in every season.

So, I am not into the festivities or the mood or the decorating or shopping or even the music that is brought about at Christmas time, but that doesn't make me a Humbug. It just makes me human in the midst of life, changes and challenges, joys and sorrows, faith, hope and love.

Have a day full of hope!

In the past few years my sleeping habits have changed and I am usually in bed by 10 PM when I am at home. Well, I knew that tonight's game would be big, but I thought I might fall asleep. NO WAY, the cold, the adrenaline and of course the action of the New England Patriots have kept me totally engaged.

Yes! I am a fan since before the days of Tom Brady.

Play offs and then on to the Superbowl 2011
chances look good for the Patriots.

Advent Foretold

Technology not always cooperating

For the last 3 days I have attempted to post my thoughts on Advent Foretold which I am reading through and I am doing something technically that is not allowing my posts to be posted. Nevertheless, I am reading, reflecting, and remembering our times in this book and around God's Word and His story of using imperfect human beings who really lived to carry out His perfect plan.

It is an Amazing story: Abraham, an old man and Sarah his wife, past childbearing age gives birth to Isaac. Isaac is the promised seed of Abraham and God says, bring this son to the alter, worship and sacrifice him. Abraham trusted God enough believing perhaps that God could and would raise Isaac from the dead. He didn't know how "God would provide" which was the answer Abraham gave to Isaac when he asked "We have the wood and the fire, what about the sacrifice father?" Abraham did however have faith in God. (Genesis 22)

The ancestral line is being set up for the One who would come in humility born of a woman. Isaac lives and has Esau and Jacob. Jacob the younger receives the blessing and begets many sons. Again, in God's providence and outside of the scope of human tradition, chooses son #4 of 12 and makes Judah the Lion and Ruler of his brothers.
For several generations there is silence and then from the tribe of Judah, Jesse would become the father of David, who would be the least likely son to become King of Israel.

To Date: it is a continuous History lesson and one that my children learned during the preparations of Christmas.



⁵ "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶In his days Judah will be saved, an Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called:'The LORD is our righteousness.' Jeremiah 23;5

December 2

Advent Foretold

written by Gary and Wanda Sanseri

originally published 1990 for their family

Looking at the first prophecy

Genesis 3;15

The stage was set.

Sin and death had entered the world.

God stated that there would be war and there would be the Victory.

All was not lost at the beginning of human history.

There is hope for those who believe in Restoration and The Restorer.

December 1st Advent Foretold Revisited

Last year Katie and I went into our storage to find a few things - one of the treasures I came across was our family's copy of Advent Foretold, a December devotional for all Ages. We used this devotional from 1996 through 2002. At the moment of discovery, I was flooded with memories and emotions, of our family with growing little ones sharing in this tradition.

You probably can't tell by the picture but the book is held together by duct tape. There are pictures that can be colored in with each day's devotion. Many copies were made over those 7 years, unfortunately, not many were saved.

The first half of the devotional is Prophecies about our coming Messiah and the second half is the fulfillment of those prophecies. The purpose of the book is to point us to Our God Incarnate, the Son of Man coming as a babe, born of a woman. It is because of this Event in history that we celebrate His humble entrance into this world.

Today's devotion sends us to 3 Scriptures Isaiah 46;9-10, Isaiah 48;3, 5 and Numbers 23;19

³"The former things I declared of old;
they went out from my mouth, and I announced them;
then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.
⁴Because I know that you are obstinate,
and your neck is an iron sinew
and your forehead brass,
⁵ I declared them to you from of old,
before they came to pass I announced them to you,
lest you should say, 'My idol did them,
my carved image and my metal image commanded them.'

⁶"You have heard; now see all this;
and will you not declare it?
From this time forth I announce to you new things,
hidden things that you have not known.

Now I am looking at Isaiah 48 and since the devotion today sets us up for the rest of the book, I thought I would give you my take on it. Only God has ever perfectly proclaimed those things that are yet to come. When I read, "hidden things that you have not known." It makes me think not only of the coming of the LORD but also, of those things yet to come in my own life and the life of the Lord's Church. His Bride being prepared for the Bridegroom and the LORD's second coming.

The Bible is a Living Word and we can trust in what God has left us, His Holy Word and he says here in Isaiah 48 I spoke it out and it happened. He announces new things and we can be sure that God's Word will come to pass.

I am looking forward to revisiting this book and looking again at the coming of Emmanuel.

"Forgiveness is the name of love practiced among people who love poorly. The hard truth is that all people love poorly. We need to forgive and be forgiven every day, every hour increasingly. That is the great work of love among the fellowship of the weak that is the human family."
-Henri Nouwen

Read at your own risk*

I have just under 50 drafts sitting in my waiting to be posted file here on my blog. Today, I am just going to be risky and shot from the hip. I will post whatever I end up writing now. Consider yourself warned: READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

*This blogger is not responsible for the effects this blog post may have on your life in any way, shape or form.

When I was at the age of my two younger children, 17 and 19, it was all I could do to just get through the day. I lacked gratitude, ambition, drive, vision, hope, dreams, love. I worked hard, drank hard, was hard on myself in the most destructive of way. Basically my philosophy was be "Life sucks and then you die." There were no thoughts about the future, because I didn't think I had a future. It is now my belief that I am to glorify God and to enjoy him forever and to be hard on myself in a way that will enable me to be who God meant for me to be.

Here I am nearly a quarter of a century later and there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day. At the age of 21 the LORD God invaded my heart and changed the course of my life. By God's grace my husband Dan and I have had the great privilege of having children and raising them together. We were given the opportunity to educate and bring them up the way we believe God would have us.

Nearly 3 years ago, I wrote a blog post about being in the Heart break Hill of parenting alluding to where I am in the marathon of parenting via the Boston Marathon and now, I hear the roar of the crowd as I have now entered Kenmore Square and soon the finished line will be within view. My role as a parent is in the midst of a radical changes and it is not easy. As I can ONLY imagine, the runners coming into Kenmore the transition that takes place right then and there, you can either push through the pain and finish strong or succumb to it and drag yourself across the line.

It is really difficult to assess how I am doing but according to my kids I am pushing through and each one of them has been so gracious to me. Even though they do not understand what I am going through, at least they do their best to be understanding. Each one needs me in a different way and in many ways what they need me to do is let them go and let them grow.

"What is next for me?" is a question I am starting to let myself really start to think about seriously. And I am happy to report there is a plethora of things I am thinking about today.

The Pleasure is Mine

To my shame, I have not updated my reading list on my blog sidebar for some time. Currently, I just finished reading Lover of My Soul by Alan Wright, a gift from my dear friend Becky. There are a number of other books I have going too.

In the past 2 months I started to reread The Christian Imagination by Leland Ryken. The end of this summer, I had an awakening, an opening of my eyes that I never expected. Here I am daring to write about it, in an indirect way by quoting from this book, that I think every Christian ought to read. It is profound. It is truthful. Creativity, the arts, beauty are being neglected by a number of churches in the States. As Christians this is to our collective shame. We need to be willing to do something about it and draw people back to God through all of the Fine Arts and to support and encourage our own young people to embrace and cultivate their talents as well as continue to develop our own.

From the chapter, "Words of Delight" A Hedonistic Defense of Literature

"A person's attitude toward pleasure is actually a comment on his or her estimate of God. To assume that God dislikes pleasure and enjoyment is to charge him with being sadistic toward his creatures. The Bible, of course, does not allow such a conclusion. Someone has aptly written that 'God is not a celestial Scrooge who hates to see his children enjoy themselves. Rather, he is the kind of Father who is ready to say, 'Let us eat and make merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'

What does the biblical affirmation of beauty and enjoyment have to do with the reading and production of literature? Primarily it validates the enjoyment of literature as a Christian activity. When we enjoy the beauty of a sonnet or the artistry of an epic or the fictional inventiveness of a novel, we are enjoying a quality of which God is the ultimate source and performing an act similar to God's enjoyment of his own creation. The way to show gratitude for a gift is to enjoy it. Literature and art are God's gifts to the human race. One of the liberating effects of letting ourselves 'go' as we enjoy literature is to realize that we can partly affirm the value of literature whose content or worldview we dislike. If God is the ultimate source of all beauty and artistry, then the artistic dimension of literature is the point at which Christians can be unreserved in their enthusiasm for works of non-Christian writers. John Milton gradually came to deplore the ethical viewpoint of pagan authors, but he noted that 'their art I still applauded' (Apology for Smectymnuus). Werner Jaeger, in his book on the classical tradition, claimed that 'it was the Christians who finally taught men to appraise poetry by a purely aesthetic standard - a standard which enabled them to reject most of the moral and religious teaching of the classical poets as false and ungodly, while accepting the formal elements in their work as instructive and aesthetically delightful.

The modern age has generally regarded the arts as dispensable because they are non-utilitarian. But if we look honestly and deeply within the human spirit as created by God, we will find a hunger for human creativity, for artistry, for beauty. And if we look beyond the human spirit to the God of all beauty and creativity, we will conclude that literature and the arts are not the unnecessary pursuit of an idle moment."

A Life of Crime

Adrenaline junkies probably make good criminals. A life of crime may pay. Getting away without being caught can give one a sense of victory. But is it really worth it?

Yesterday I saw The Town. And yes, as my son pointed out, you are seeing it just because it is set in Boston. He has that right. The Town in the story is a neighborhood in Boston, namely, Charlestown. It is where my dad grew up and my Auntie lived there until 2003. I lived with my Auntie briefly in 1985. Michael asked me, what about the story in the movie? I said, I am sure it will have a story and it did.

Bank and Armored money truck jobs include planning, violence and a disregard for the well-being of people. It is still people who commit crimes and crimes are generally committed against people. There was lots of action and edge of your seat moments in the movie but the story was the criminal and the victim coming into a relationship. It was this relationship in the midst of the crime that was authentic and sad. The other relationships in the movie were realistic too but there was no time to develop those because there was another job to be pulled off.

Criminals are people with souls. I think I have always been sympathetic toward the offenders not in a "I want them to get away with the crimes nor reveling in their anger" kind of way but in the realization that but for the grace of God there go I. Although, I did not enter a life of crime, the potential was there and the Lord has speared me from entering that lifestyle. The pain of Ben Affleck's character Doug McRay was evident even though it was not addressed in the dialogue. It was evident in his eyes and in his reaction to things. The story never blames his childhood for his actions. It is a case of it is what it is. However, Doug does not want it to always be that way. His interest in his victim organically develops into a relationship. The interest becomes an interest in a new life. This interest represents hope. (Now, I am making myself want to see the movie again...hopefully, I will wait until it comes out on DVD) Genesis says, it is not good for man to be alone. We were created to be in relationship with one another. In this world and in Christendom people are looked upon as the enemy. People are fallen, sinful if you would and responsible for their actions but not truly are enemies. We are all capable of committing heinous acts. People who commit heinous crimes and those who don't are both in need of redemption.

Some crimes you pay with your very blood, some you pay with your time and most you pay with your soul. Crime doesn't pay. It does however cost.

The Light of the Gospel of the Glory of Christ

It is my privilege to also follow and read a number of blogs. This blog I am about to write is inspired by Ambition and Apathy and I just want to thank Hayley for continuing to write. Hayley asked herself, Why am I a Christian?

Today, I want to start by saying the reasons that do not make me a Christian.

It is NOT because I am intellectually superior to the next gal on the block and that I have weighed all of the evidence and have determined that this is the best way to live life as a human being.*

It is NOT because I was raised in a religious home.

It is NOT because I was baptized as an infant.

It is NOT because my husband perfectly shared the Gospel with me. **

It is NOT because I was desperate and in need of meaning in my life.***

I am a Christian by Providence, the grace of God was poured out upon my life. I can not take any credit for what Jesus did for me on the Cross. The Holy Spirit quickened my spirit, invaded my heart and gave me New Life. Just like a newborn baby does not understand their move from the womb of their mother to her arms, so a newborn babe in Christ does not completely understand what is/has happening/happened to them at the moment of New Life.

My response to this New Life was with much gratitude. I knew that I was a selfish brat. My eyes and ears were opened by the power of the Holy Spirit in order to realize that God was willing to give His Very Life up for me that I might be forgiven and given Eternal Life by His Own Blood. This wasn't just Good News, this was Great News. The one who led me to this birth place did not promise me anything but New Life.

Upon rereading what I just wrote, I see that this is the "how" I became a Christian but does not answer the question why? Couldn't I be anything I wanted to be? My parents told me that I could be anything that I wanted to be and the world caters to that mentality. My parents also wanted me to grow up and be a member of the religion I grew up in as well. (so I guess they even had their limits to the "anything") In the words of one of my children, "None of us choose our personality, our parents or the country where we were born. Everything we make choices out of is determined by something other than us." So, after being given New Life and learning to walk in it. I have discovered that being a Christian is the way to live in the Truth and that I am determined by God's grace to walk it out for the rest of my days.

Has this Pilgrim Road been a life of easy? Well, Christian means Christ follower and that means dying to self or as my friend Oswald Chambers puts it, "a willingness to go to the White Funeral," which I take to mean as laying down your own life and living for Christ. Jesus himself said, anyone who wants to save his life he must lose it. Have I had moments, dare I say seasons of wanting to throw it in my Lord's face and say no thanks, the Christian life is not for me? Yes, heartache and suffering are hard but His Grace is sufficient. Most of my heartache and suffering have been by my own hand, my sin and the Loving Hand of my Father has been there to restore, to forgive, to love me back into His arms. The suffering I have had at the hands of others has been minimal compared to my persecuted brothers and sisters. I have never renounced my faith in the One True God. Instead, I have gotten to know Him better and love Him more because He continues to reveal Himself to me. One thing for sure is that there has never been a dull moment.

My main reason for being a Christian is that in the light of the Glory of the Gospel it is the most authentic way for me to live. A number of the Christian Confessionals asks:

What is the chief end of man?

To Glorify God and Enjoy Him forever.

Living for His Glory, not mine own and Dancing for all Eternity. I am loved, forgiven, disciplined, lifted up, brought low, made righteous, justified, purified and made whole.

*I do however believe living a life of following The LORD is the best way to live.

**Dan did share the Truth of the Gospel with me.

***Even though I was desperate and wanted to live a meaningful life.

You are INVITED:

to be delighted

to be inspired

to have one of the books of history

opened for you to see for perhaps the first time

by the telling of this incredible story

In celebration of the 375th Anniversary of Concord Massachusetts

Tickets for "Song on the Wind" are now available exclusively

by calling our toll free number. (877) 746-9755

Performance Dates:

Performances are approx. 3 hours in length including a 20 minute intermission.

Fridays, Wednesday & Saturdays September 10, 11, 15, 17, 18 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturdays & Sundays September 11, 12, 18, 19 at 2:00 p.m.

For some time I have been meaning to blog about this production, the true story of those early settlers and the natives of this land in "The Bay Colony" as Massachusetts was once known and how they related to one another and live together. My husband Dan is one of the cast members. In keeping with New Life Fine Arts mission statement, "Theatre you can believe in" everything is done with excellence, the music, the story, the sets and the costumes are beautifully crafted so that the story may be brought to life together with the actors, singers and musicians.

For Tickets and Further information visit

Song on the Wind

"So they left that goodly and pleasant city which had been their resting place near twelve years; but they knew they were Pilgrims, and looked not much on those things, but lift up their eyes to the heavens, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits."

Bradford

Of Plymouth Plantation

Welcome to my alleged Mind
It has been just over 3 weeks since I started to work on my 9131 blog post. Not sure if I will finish before I leave for vacation. Anyway, it has to do with sobriety. As some of you may know, I like to read other people's blogs as well. Josh Harris is one that I recently started to follow.....that is what blog readers do....follow.
Anyway, I have a hundred things running through my head right now.
Here is a sample:
My girls being together tonight.
9131 post still incomplete.
Christmas in July failings
My first of many trips to the PO to send a package or two to Lookout Mtn, GA.
Bike riding
Nantasket Beach
Waking at Dark 30 as my friend Laurie likes to call it
The probability of 3 kids in college at the same time
Having too many books going
sleep
My uncanny ability to bless and curse with the same mouth
August Birthdays
Summer
Sunshine kisses at dawn
Old friends New friends
Time for bed (not really but maybe)
Truth
Eternity
Life and Death
We are all so fragile. Life can change in an instant.
Hoping for a warm September

A Daily Devotional that I subscribe to....from Truth for Life

August 3

Extravagant Goodness

Luke 8:42

Jesus is passing through the crowd heading for the house of Jairus, so that he might raise the ruler's dead daughter. He is so extravagant in His goodness that He works another miracle on His way there. It is enough for most of us, if we have one purpose, to go immediately and accomplish it, without impulsively expending our energies on the way. Rushing to the rescue of a drowning friend, we cannot afford to use up our strength upon someone else in similar danger. It is enough for a tree to yield one sort of fruit and for a man to fulfill his own peculiar calling.

But the Lord Jesus is not limited in His power or restricted in His mission. He is so prolific in grace that, like the sun that shines as it rolls onward in its orbit, His path is radiant with loving-kindness. He is a swift arrow of love that not only reaches its ordained target but perfumes the air through which it flies. Virtue is always going out of Jesus, just as sweet fragrance exudes from flowers; and it will always be emanating from Him, like water from a sparkling fountain.

What delightful encouragement this truth affords us! If our Lord is so ready to heal the sick and bless the needy, then, my soul, do not be slow to put yourself in His path so that He may smile on you. Do not be lazy in asking, since He is so generous in giving. Pay careful attention to His Word now and at all times, so that Jesus may speak through it to your heart. Pitch your tent wherever He is so that you can obtain His blessing. When He is present to heal, may He not heal you? Be certain that He is present even now, for He always comes to hearts that need Him. And do you not need Him? He knows the extent of your need; so turn your gaze, look upon your distress, and call upon Him while He is near.

Family Bible reading plan

• Jeremiah 30 , 31
• Mark 16

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Devotional material is taken from “Morning and Evening,” written by C.H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg. Copyright (c) 2003, Good News Publishers and used by Truth For Life with written permission. Today’s Bible Reading material is taken from McCheyne Bible reading plan and used by Truth For Life with permission. Scripture quotations are taken from Holy Bible: English Standard Version, copyright (c) 2001, Good News Publishers.

9131 is still a work in progress