A Baby Who Changed the World

As Christmas approaches, I keep being drawn back to a post I wrote in 2014. As I've thought about what I might write to share here as I look towards Christmas, I've realized that those words from then are where my heart is at again this year. Rather than write something new, I'm choosing to share those words from four years ago again.

My prayer is they make you think, reflect, wonder at Christmas this year...

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As I have been reflecting on the Christmas story this year, I've been struck by how life changing the birth of this one baby was for all people - the night it happened and for all eternity.

One baby changed the world forever. 

Nothing has been the same since that night.

We often talk about how a baby changes everything for the family that baby is born into.

 None brought so much change as Jesus when He was born.

God come to earth.

Immanuel.

God with us.

The One whose life, death, and resurrection would make a way for mankind to once again have direct access to God.

The ultimate expression of sacrificial love. Of humble service.

I wonder if Mary and Joseph, if the shepherds, if the Magi, really understood the significance of that night. They knew what the angels had told them about this baby, but did they really get it? 

A couple thousand years later, do we really get it? Will we ever really get it?

The birth of a baby, named Jesus. 

A baby Who would change everything through His life and death.

The promised Messiah. The One prophesied about.

The One missed by so many when He came because of the way He came.

The One missed by so many while He walked on earth because He came to serve, not to exert His power.

The One missed by so many because He dies a criminal's death to become the greatest sacrifice and defeat sin and death for good.

The One still missed by many today.

But for those who stop to notice . . .

for those who are searching for something more . . .

for those who are willing to be humble and serve . . .

the chance to meat the One Who changes everything.

The One Who offers hope.

The One Who offers forgiveness and a second chance.

The One Who offers unconditional love.

The One Who never fails.

It was one night . . . 

in a stable . . .

in a small town . . .

with two poor parents . . .

surrounded by animals . . .

where the world changed forever.

God put His plan in motion to redeem a fallen world,

to restore a broken relationship with His people.

A plan still in motion today.

A plan that still offers hope today.

A birth.

A baby.

A life lived.

A death.

And the greatest of all - a victory over death, a resurrection.

All because of God's vast, unmeasurable, unchanging, unfailing love for each of us.

That makes it something worth celebrating!

Are You Missing Seeing what God is Doing Now?

Do you limit what God could do now in your life by how He acted in the past?

This is a question I spent some time reflecting on after I was reading in Isaiah 43 recently. There's a few verses in that chapter that are more well-known and I've heard quoted often. They're powerful words, but I realized just how powerful when I read a couple of verses before them alongside them.

"This is what the Lord days -
     He who made a way through the sea,
     a path through the mighty waters,
who drew the chariots and horses,
     the army and reinforcements together.
and they lay there, never to rise again,
     extinguished, snuffed out life a wick:
Forget the former things;
     do not swell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
     Now it springs up, do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
     and streams in the wasteland."
                                      -Isaiah 43:16-19

The last couple of verses are the ones most commonly quoted, but when I read these verses all together I was struck by the thought sin them.

In describing who the Lord is Who is speaking, Isaiah is remembering how God led Israel out of Egypt and defeated their enemies. When they were in the an impossible situation and defeat seemed almost certain, God made a way out for them and defeated their enemy.

This is something they needed to remember. But, Isaiah also warns of a danger here. When he asks if they are perceiving the new thing the Lord is doing, he points out the danger and the reason why he is declaring that God is doing a new thing. There is a danger that in remembering how God has acted in the past, they would not see what God was doing now, or they would try to limit what God was doing now.

We face that danger in our lives. We need to remember what God has done for us in the past. That's what gives us hope and confidence that God will act now on our behalf again. But, we can too easily become so focused on the past that we miss what God is doing now. Or we can try to put God in a box of "this is how God does things" and resist Him when He tries to do something new.

In our remembering how God has acted on our behalf in the past, we cannot stop looking ahead for the new things He is doing and wants to do. Our remembering forms the basis of our belief and our confidence that He has a plan, but we cannot become so focused on it that we miss the new thing God is doing.

God's Plans Instead of Ours

I've had this post in partially completed form for the last month or so. I started it when I was at the retreat I talk about in it. Trying to sum it up in something - a lesson, a question for reflection - something that makes it what I usually post here. But, that is not to be.

I still feel like it's something to share. Maybe there's a lesson in it for you as you read. I'm leaving that to God to prompt what He has and simply sharing what He has placed on my heart to share.

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Fog obscuring all below. No view of the mountain road taken to get here, or the valley below.

Blue sky with light whispy clouds above. Moments of sunshine bringing warmth.

A quiet sort of peacefulness descended on her as she looked out the window. Something felt different about this place, this time.

Laughter and conversation with unlikely friends around the dinner table. Looking around the table, she was struck by how different they all were, yet they all shared what was most important.

They loved Jesus. They followed Him. They wanted to grow and help others grow in their journey with Christ.

That was what brought them together in this place. It was what had brought them together once a week for almost seven months.

What does this weekend hold?

What is God up to?

A sense of anticipation and wonder.

She'd felt the need for a time like this for a while, but it hadn't seemed to be happening. No matter what she'd tried, nothing seemed to work according to her plans.

But, maybe this was God's timing, His plan for when it should be. Trusting what He desired to do when it was right according to Him.

____________________


Sipping coffee in the morning sun. Looking down on the valley and the lake below. Not a cloud to be seen - just clear, pale blue sky above.

The beginning of a day spent together, yet alone with Jesus.

Worship music playing softly in the background. The only other sound the turning of pages in Bibles, books, journals.

There's something about this place. Really, something about an intentional time away. It just feels easier to put aside the distractions and hear God's voice.

Sharing. Praying together. Reflecting on our day.

____________________


Sunday morning dawns. Another beautiful day.

Breakfast finished. Dishes done. Conversation continues.

This space feels like holy ground as talk and laugh and enjoy each other's company. No agenda. No hurry to get things done.

____________________


A month later, walking into a room of people, looking for familiar faces. It seems such a short time and a long time all at once since our retreat together.

Connecting again. Sharing together.

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When I started writing these words on the weekend, I had my own thoughts on what the post I was writing would be about. I quickly realized this was going somewhere else. 

As I reflect on this now, and try to sum it up, I'm at a loss. I don't have a neat lesson to tie this up with. Or a question to leave you with.

I simply am reminded of how God has plans that we may not even be aware of. Bringing me to this group. Creating the space for this retreat. Making His will happen in the midst of ours, as long as we're actually willing and available.

Is There Room?

Is there space in your life for God to interrupt and call you to something new or different?

Is there room for God to bring about His plan for your life?

This is something I've been challenged about a lot lately. It's so easy to fill our calendars and our schedules so full that we don't leave any room for God to have His way with us. We live in a culture that seems to prize busy-ness, and our spiritual lives pay the price for that if we're not careful.

We're only going to hear God interrupting our plans with His if we're actually creating space where we can listen. If we're able to pay attention, because we don't always have to run to the next thing. It won't happen on the run with out thoughts focused on what we need to do next.

In the culture we live in, we have to become intentional about creating this space to pay attention. Until it becomes our habit, we have to do the work of making it ahppen. Even once it becomes habit, we have to continue to watch that we don't slowly get off course and back into the busy-ness of our culture again.

Is there space in your life for God to interrupt and call you to something new or different?

Is there room for God to bring about His plan for your life?

If not, what can you do to create some space?

If there is, what can you to guard that time, so it doesn't disappear?

We Need Others to Figure Out our Calling

We were never meant to discern what God has given us to do on our own. We're supposed to need others to help us figure out what it looks like for us to do what God has planned for us to do.

I was struck by this as I read and reflected on the angel's conversation with Mary in Luke 1:26-38. In these verses, the angel tells Mary about what God has planned for her. Mary chose to trust God and surrender to His plan despite the unknowns it brought. Mary was willing to be obedient to God's call on her life.

But, what really struck me was what Mary did next - after her conversation with the angel. Luke 1:39-40 says, "At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth." In the face of her great and overwhelming calling from God, May went to someone who might understand and help her on this journey. She went to Elizabeth.

The angel had told Mary that Elizabeth was also carrying an unexpected child according to God's plan. It would make sense that Mary would seek out Elizabeth in this time. A person who might have some insight and understanding as she tried to make sense of this all.

We also need people we can turn to when we're working to make sense of something God has said to us, has called us to. I don't believe we were meant to try to figure it all out alone. We were meant to work through these things in relationship, not in isolation.

How to Stop the Constant Running

"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed." (Mark 1:35)

"When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then He took them with Him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida." (Luke 9:10)

These are just two of the many examples we can find of Jesus withdrawing from the busy-ness of ministry to rest and meet with God. It's a model of something very necessary for the life God has called us to live as His followers.

In our society, I believe this is even more important for us to learn. We prize being busy - even in the church. And we feel guilty for taking a break.

Yet, if we were to follow Jesus' example, as recorded in the gospels, we would regularly carve out time away from the busy-ness to be with God. We would make the time away a priority rather than an after-thought.

Because, the truth is that we can't live out what God has for us the best if we're constantly running from one thing to the next. We got too tired.

When we're constantly running, we also risk missing what God is leading us to next. We can get so focused on what we need to do next that we miss out on God trying to move us in a different direction. Or we just get so tired that even the thought of doing something new or different becomes too much for us.

What would it look like for us to regularly take time away for refreshing and the hear from God? What would change if we became intentional about not allowing busy-ness to take over our lives?

It seems I go in seasons with this. Sometimes I do this much better than others. It's easy for my calendar to just get filled up again - especially when it's with good things. But, even those good things may not be the best things.

So, how do we protect ourselves from falling into the trap of prizing our busy-ness? How do we make sure we're not so busy we don't have room for time to hear from God?

There's a few things I've learned that help me to do this better.

1) Be intentional and schedule it.

If I'm not paying attention it can be really easy to overload my calendar. All the empty places in my days get filled. But, if I regularly block off time in my calendar, I'm more likely to leave the space I need in my life. Often I sit down and block out the time on my calendar at the beginning of the month for the entire month - so it's just done and I don't have to try to remember all the time.

2) Lean to say no - even when it's something good.

This has probably been one of the most difficult things for me to learn and I don't do it well all the time. Lots of good opportunities to be involved in something come my way, but, realistically, I can't say yes to them all. Sometimes the way to manage our schedules and not become too busy is to say no to some of the good opportunities that come our way.

I've learned not to say a quick yes or be too hasty in my no. But, instead, to take each good opportunity to prayer and give myself time to look at the impact a yes would have on me, my family, my friends, my other commitments, and, most importantly, my relationship with God. Sometimes it won't fit, sometimes it will, and sometimes I realize it's time for something to change because this needs to fit and something else doesn't anymore.

3) Show grace to yourself.

In many ways, this is the most important one. We don't always do this well. We'll fill our calendars and get so busy we don't have time for what should be most important. When we realize that, it's not time to beat ourselves up. It's time to make the decisions we need to make to get our schedules beack under control and start again.

Used by God

Most Christians I know want to be used by God for something. They’re hoping for, looking for, and dreaming about the ways that God can use them for His purposes.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this, but I think we run into problems with it sometimes because of how we go about waiting for God to use us. We want to be used by God, but until we hear from Him about how He wants to use us we don’t do anything. We sit back and wait for the specific direction.

As I was reading the Old Testament prophet Amos recently, I was struck by what Amos said. In Amos 7, the king of Israel is telling Amos to leave because he doesn’t like Amos’ message. Amos’ response is what struck me. Verses 14-15 say this:

Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore fig trees. But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel'.”

Amos was looking after sheep and trees when God called him to be a prophet and gave him a message. He wasn’t sitting back and doing nothing while he waited for God to give him something to do. He was working at what he had to do at that time.

As I started to think about this more, I began to wonder if God isn’t looking for us to be faithful in serving Him in our day-to-day activities. All those things we do that don’t seem significant, that may not even seem like they’re making a difference for God. When we faithfully serve in those, God is using us for His purposes – even when we can’t see that.

Each day can be filled with divine appointments. Moments where we can point the people we are interacting with to God through our actions and through our words. All these moments are then us being used by God for His purposes, and we didn’t have to sit and wait for Him to tell us what to do. We chose to serve faithfully in our jobs, in our schoolwork, in our interactions with friends and family, in our interactions with those providing services for us.

I believe that being used by God begins with us being faithful in the mundane, every-day tasks and relationships. That’s where we begin.

Saying Good-Bye

Good-byes aren't things we usually look forward to. They often mean that life as we know it is changing in some way. Even if that change is for the good, we still don't seem to like the good-bye that comes with it. Even when we're excited about the change that is necessitating the good-bye, that doesn't mean we like the process of saying good-bye.

Then there's the good-byes that are just plain hard. There's not something on the other side that helps us to get through the good-bye. The good-byes that leave us with something or someone missing that was once a part of our lives.These good-byes can often be the most difficult ones we have to say. They take time for us to work through.

Whatever the reason for the good-bye, we have to learn to say it well. We run into problems in our lives when we refuse to say good-bye when it's necessary. How we say good-bye and the changes it makes to our lives may look different each time, but that doesn't change the fact we have to say good-bye.

Good-bye to someone we loved who has passed away.

Good-bye to something we loved that is over now.

Good-bye to the way a friendship looks right now because the circumstances of one or both of you are changing and it can't be exactly the same anymore. It may not be good-bye forever, but it's good-bye to the present reality.

Good-bye to a dream you had that God is asking you to give up for what He has for you instead.

Good-bye to the place you've called home for any length of time.

There are many things and many people we may need to say good-bye to. Some are easier than others. Some we will try to hang onto long past when we should.

Saying good-bye is a part of life on this earth. God knew that when He created it and created us. He knows it's hard. He knows we don't look forward to it most of the time.

The good news is that He doesn't leave us alone to do it either. He walks with us through it. And He provides people to walk with us through it.


"For God has said: Never will I leave you; Never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)

One Night that Changed the World

As I have been reflecting on the Christmas story this year, I've been struck by how life changing the birth of this one baby was for all people - the night it happened and for all eternity.

One baby changed the world forever. 

Nothing has been the same since that night.

We often talk about how a baby changes everything for the family that baby is born into.

 None brought so much change as Jesus when He was born.

God come to earth.

Immanuel.

God with us.

The One whose life, death, and resurrection would make a way for mankind to once again have direct access to God.

The ultimate expression of sacrificial love. Of humble service.

I wonder if Mary and Joseph, if the shepherds, if the Magi, really understood the significance of that night. They knew what the angels had told them about this baby, but did they really get it? 

A couple thousand years later, do we really get it? Will we ever really get it?

The birth of a baby, named Jesus. 

A baby Who would change everything through His life and death.

The promised Messiah. The One prophesied about.

The One missed by so many when He came because of the way He came.

The One missed by so many while He walked on earth because He came to serve, not to exert His power.

The One missed by so many because He dies a criminal's death to become the greatest sacrifice and defeat sin and death for good.

The One still missed by many today.

But for those who stop to notice . . .

for those who are searching for something more . . .

for those who are willing to be humble and serve . . .

the chance to meat the One Who changes everything.

The One Who offers hope.

The One Who offers forgiveness and a second chance.

The One Who offers unconditional love.

The One Who never fails.

It was one night . . . 

in a stable . . .

in a small town . . .

with two poor parents . . .

surrounded by animals . . .

where the world changed forever.

God put His plan in motion to redeem a fallen world,

to restore a broken relationship with His people.

A plan still in motion today.

A plan that still offers hope today.

A birth.

A baby.

A life lived.

A death.

And the greatest of all - a victory over death, a resurrection.

All because of God's vast, unmeasurable, unchanging, unfailing love for each of us.

That makes it something worth celebrating!

How Do You Respond to Interruptions?

A couple of days ago I wrote about a Bible study I'm a part of on the book of Jonah. I talked about seeing things as interruptions or changing our view for them to be divine interventions. Today, I want to talk about how we respond to those in our lives.

When God comes along and interrupts our plans, we have a choice in how we respond to that interruption. And how we respond will often line up with whether we see it as an interruption or a divine intervention.

Jonah saw God's job for him as an interruption. He didn't want to go to Ninevah and preach to them. He wanted to stay where he was in Jerusalem and keep doing what he was already doing. So, Jonah tried to run from God's new job for him - as far as he could in the other direction.

As we've been studying this, I've started to wonder what would have been different in Jonah's response if he had seen it as a divine intervention instead. What if Jonah had seen God's new job for him as an opportunity to participate in God's work? What would have looked different?

We are often faced with the same choice Jonah had. God has come along and interrupted our lives in some way and we have to decide what we're going to do.

Are we going to run from it?

Or are we going to step into it even if it doesn't seem like what we want in the moment?

We always have the choice. God will always leave us with the choice when He comes with an invitation to join Him in His purposes.

Has God interrupted your life recently?

How are you responding to it?

Interruption or Divine Intervention?

This fall I'm doing a study on Jonah - the prophet - with a group of ladies from my church. It's been a great study so far.

The subtitle for the study we're doing is "navigating a life interrupted." When I read that it intrigued me. Who hasn't had life interrupted? Who hasn't found those interruptions hard to navigate at time?

For these first couple of weeks we've been talking about our perspective on interruptions to our lives and how we respond to them.

It only takes a few verses in Jonah for us to see God interrupting Jonah's life. Jonah was a prophet to Israel - tasked with taking God's message to His own people. Then, God came and gave Him a different assignment.

God told Jonah to go to Ninevah and preach. Ninevah wasn't just a city that was not part of the nation of Israel. Ninevah was Israel's enemy. They were a brutal people and it is likely that Israel suffered loss at their hands. Now God was telling Jonah that was where He wanted Jonah to go and preach a message of repentance.

Talk about an interruption . . . God took Jonah's nice, relatively easy life and turned it upside-down with a new assignment.

Have you ever had God do that in your life? Take your plans and the life you've grown comfortable with and turn it upside-down with something new or different He brings your way?

Jonah had a couple of options in how he could see God's change of plans for him. Jonah could see it as an interruption to his life. Or he could see it as a divine intervention.

It changes everything when we see it as a divine intervention when God steps in and changes our plans.

What is a divine intervention? It's when God invites you to be a part of His purposes on earth in a way that may look differently than you planned.

It changes everything when we begin to see things as divine interventions rather than interruptions. Interruptions are often seen as rude or inconvenient or unwanted. Divine interventions are significant opportunities to join God in His plans.

How do you see interruptions to your plans?

What would change if you began to see them as divine interventions instead?