Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Wednesday’s
Breakfast with God


[God speaking] "Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? 

You are God's critic, but do you have the answers?" Job 40:2

Just a thought

Does your prayer life consist of a battle of the wills, yours 

against His? Do you think you need to convince God your plan

is better?

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

The Virus


Christmastime joy can be suffocated by the pressure to have ...
Christmastime joy.


 I like listening to Christmas music more during the year than I do in December. Why is that?


Nagging expectations that the season requires instead of awaiting with expectancy the birth of our Savior. My calendar is full of "holiday happenings", I bet yours is too.


When does more become too much? The more syndrome becomes a virus at Christmastime and we all get  infected.


For a moment let's focus on being well, rid of the disease of more. 
It starts with thankfulness for our past, the memories, good and bad, that shape who we are today. 
I'm thankful for pain turning to joy, 
for relationships that live deep within my heart. 
I'm thankful for the orphanage that reminded me I'm the one that's poor and needy. In need of a Savior to make me well.


It's funny, when I focus on my thanks to God, the more virus goes away.
And expectations are replaced with expectancy.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

The Gift Nobody Wants






























I heard the joy in his voice, the news was not just good....it was great.
Something we have been worried about for years is now finally ended, and ended well. The joy we are experiencing now has come out of a great deal of worry, pain, and fear.


If I look back on my life, I can see that most of my happiest times came out of times of pain. My friend says some of her greatest memories can be traced back to the last few months of her sons life before cancer finally took him at the age of 14.


Is pain our enemy or the opportunity to experience greater happiness?


No one will ask for the gift of pain this Christmas but until we have been through extreme periods of pain, we cannot go to Christ with extreme gratefulness. We may find our greatest purposes out of our greatest pain.


And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:20


"Thank you, Lord, for the pain."