Reflections and Responses

I think it’s wise to count our blessings as the year comes to a close – a year that has been tough for many people. Regardless of circumstances, God is so good – He alone is reason to give thanks! Below is a list of just a sampling of the things that I am grateful for at the conclusion of 2009. Some of the items on this list are blessings God gave this year, and others are just things I am thankful for in general. “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Psalm 118:29 1. Salvation/relationship with Jesus 2. Marrying John 3. My family 4. Gaining new family members (the Smiths, Harpers and Crofts) 5. My career 6. My home/apartment 7. New friends who have come to NewSong 8. Finishing college 9. My sister being able to visit several times 10. NewSong Community Church 11. The youth girls’ small group 12. The health of my family members 13. Learning new things (about people, in my career, life lessons) 14. Many great memories (honeymoon, multiple friends’ weddings...

I’m not the best at waiting, especially when the outcome of the waiting involves the unknown. I think many of you would agree or could relate with me to an extent. Several people I know are playing waiting games right now and are not particularly enjoying them. It’s in the times of waiting that God loves to speak to us and draw us close, but those are also the times when we are tempted to be frustrated and turn away from Him. We are tempted to rely on our own “strength” and find quicker ways to get to the end of the waiting game. That’s just like us as humans, isn’t it? We take something that God wants to be sweet and intimate, and we twist it into something that is self-gratifying and matches our agendas and timelines because we are impatient. I really don’t have the answer for impatience, though I definitely empathize with those of you who are waiting. Thankfully, though, the Bible assures us that waiting and enduring through God’s timeline are well worth it. “Yet those who wait for...

It’s funny how things change with time. Take the concept of sleep on Christmas Eve, for example. As a child, I couldn’t sleep on Christmas Eve because I was anticipating what toys I would unwrap the next morning. As a preteen, I wouldn’t sleep on Christmas Eve because I’d be talking on the phone with my friends late into the evening. As a college student, I couldn’t wait to come home from school TO sleep and recover from late nights studying for finals and hanging out with friends. Now as an adult, I can’t sleep IN because I’m used to getting up early for work! Our circumstances, or the way we celebrate Christmas, change also. I’ve celebrated Christmas while living in different houses, some years my sister has been out of the country, and now I’m celebrating my first Christmas as a married woman. Different family members have been present are in my memories of past Christmases, but they have passed on now. Though circumstances change and our perception of it evolves as we mature, ...

It’s interesting to think about the circumstances of Jesus’ birth. Not to be redundant or talk about something you already know, but Jesus was born to poor, uneducated parents who were insignificant in pretty much every way – EXCEPT for their devotion to God. Mary and Joseph believed the angels who spoke to them, despite the bizarre messages these angels proclaimed. An angel said to Mary: “You will be with child and give birth to a son… He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." Luke 1:31-33 Um, I’m sure that’s not what a young girl expected to hear… “You’re pregnant, your son will be praised, and He will reign forever.” Joseph’s message from the angel was equally as peculiar. The angel told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife “because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:20 Whoa. Try to ima...

Julie Parker is getting married today. For those of you who don't know our history, Julie's life and my own have been intertwined since the young age of 3 years old! We attended preschool together at Cumming First United Methodist Church, attended separate elementary schools but continued to be friends through church and family activities, and became best friends who were inseparable in middle and high school. Our lives have many similarities too - we both have sisters named Amy who are the same age, Julie and my sister Amy have red hair and August birthdays, and her sister Amy and I have the same color hair and were born in March. As of 2 p.m. today, we will both be married to amazing men of God named John/Jon! Julie and I have been through a lot together and have made so many happy memories - from preschool parties to drama productions in middle and high school to endless sleepovers - I could go on and on. However, we haven't been able to spend nearly as much time togethe...

It’s funny how life is composed of a few “significant,” key moments and many ordinary moments that we consider “insignificant.” Think about it: most of us have routines that we follow each weekday with very little deviation. I wake up at the same time, follow the same pattern to get ready each day, hop in my car and drive the same route to work. However, despite the familiarity of my schedule, how am I living and perceiving each day? We spend many of these “ordinary” days simply anticipating our next significant event – looking forward to our next planned occasion and wishing away time until our calendars reach a certain date. We count down the days of many work weeks, wanting time to pass quickly to Friday afternoon. Is that really how God wants us to live? I think that God wants us to be expectant, enjoying Him and eagerly anticipating His actions each day. The Israelites demonstrated this for us beautifully. Despite the HUNDREDS of years they had been waiting for Him, the Gospel of...

I read a devotion this morning that I would like to share. I don't usually post things written by other people, but God spoke to me through this piece written by Joanie Yoder. I pray that He will do the same for you. "I read a fable about a man who was browsing in a store when he made the shocking discovery that God was behind a sales counter. So the man walked over and asked, "What are You selling?" God replied, "What does your heart desire?" The man said, "I want happiness, peace of mind, and freedom from fear . . . for me and the whole world." God smiled and said, "I don't sell fruit here. Only seeds." In Galatians 6, Paul stressed the importance of sowing seeds of God-honoring behavior, for "whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (v.7). We can't expect to experience the fruit of God's blessings if we don't recognize the importance of doing our part. It helps to follow the example of others who have sow...

I might as well come right out and tell you: I have been listening to Christmas music since October! Ask my husband or my coworkers - I have been tweaking my Pandora Christmas stations (yes, plural, I have them in different genres: oldies, Christian artists, etc.) since the fall. I love Christmas music of many kinds – the upbeat jingles, the thought-provoking songs, the sugary pop tunes. I think I genuinely like the sounds, but I also like the happy memories that come to mind when I hear them. As hard as it was for me to narrow the list, here are 10 of my favorite Christmas tunes, in no particular order. 1. “Welcome to Our World” – Michael W. Smith 2. “Winter Snow” – Audrey Assad feat. Chris Tomlin 3. “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays” – NSYNC (you can laugh, I understand) 4. “Noel” - NSYNC 5. “Breath of Heaven” – Amy Grant (or really almost anything on Amy Grant’s “Home for Christmas” album) 6. “Little St. Nick” – Beach Boys 7. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” – Brenda Lee 8. “Love ...

It’s almost impossible for us to be perfect on our own. Galatians 5:5 says, “But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.” We are waiting for the righteousness for which we hope . We do not yet possess righteousness - we are yearning and waiting for it. The use of the word “hope” also makes it clear that righteousness is not something we can muster up on our own. We are waiting to receive it. However, we sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking that we can be perfect and righteous, so we veer down our own paths and set up our own rules, regulations and standards. To be frank, this leads to failure the majority of the time. When we take this course of action, we are straining in our own strength to reach some goal that we dreamt up with the intention of proving something. What’s needed when we mess up is not to come up with a new “plan” or goal – we simply need to understand grace and repentance. We have to understand grace so that 1) we will ...

Confession: I have not been taking great care of myself lately. I have not been getting enough rest. I know that I need solid hours of sleep every night, but that's one of those lessons that I have learned the hard way - repeatedly. Rest is biblical and has been part of God's plan from the very beginning. We first learn about God's prioritzation of rest in the FIRST book of the Bible - clearly, it is important to Him. Genesis 2:2 says: "By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work." We hear more about rest throughout Bible - Jesus went away to rest, and He encouraged others to do the same. In the rush of the Christmas season, I hope that we will not neglect our sleep or our overall health. It's important to find time to sleep, exercise and try to enjoy treats in moderation in this "season of excess," as my dad called it. When we are well rested and taking good care of ourselves, not...

This is a great song - I really needed it today. I have a feeling maybe someone else does too. I encourage you to listen to it. Here 's a link to hear it on YouTube. I've also pasted the lyrics here. “Not Guilty Anymore” by Aaron Keyes “It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, doesn’t matter what you’re coming from, it doesn’t matter where you’ve been. Hear me tell you, I forgive. You’re not guilty anymore. You’re not filthy anymore. I love you, mercy is yours. You’re not broken anymore, you’re not captive anymore. I love you, mercy is yours. Can you believe that this is true. Grace abundant I am giving you. It’s cleansing deeper than you know. All was paid for long ago. You’re not guilty anymore. You’re not filthy anymore. I love you, mercy is yours. You’re not broken anymore, you’re not captive anymore. I love you, mercy is yours. There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Jesus. You’re not guilty anymore. You’re not filthy anymore. I love you, me...

We’re great disciples – that’s the problem! Many Christians are really good at following someone – imitating them, paying close attention to their teachings and praising them verbally and with their actions. This is a great thing when the person we are following is Jesus; it is not such a good thing when the person we are following is someone else. A recurring issue I see among Christians, including myself at times, is attaching ourselves to a Christian mentor (famous or not), leader, speaker or musician and becoming a disciple of that person. All too easily, we become “starstruck,” in awe of this person who delivers amazing content, seems to have all of the answers and does not struggle with the things that trouble us. Suddenly we want to dig up every message this person has ever preached and know details about his or her family and even what he or she orders at Starbucks. Don’t get me wrong – I believe that God places people in our lives who he uses as vessels to speak to us and to g...

Happy Thanksgiving! This morning I tried to think of some things I am thankful for, yet fail to recognize – things I take for granted. I thought about things I'm grateful for besides the obvious blessings. A little "thanking" outside of the box - pardon my bad pun. So, besides Jesus Christ and my salvation, my husband and wonderful family, my church, health, job and home (sorry, just couldn’t NOT list those!), here are things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving day. The conveniences of modern life. Not to be cliché, but we take many things for granted that make our lives so much easier – gas stations, washing machines, even entities like the U.S. Postal Service. How wild is it that we can drop off a card in a box somewhere and have complete confidence that it will reach a specific destination across the world? All of these things save me hours, labor and worry, and I am grateful for them. The ability to have memories. I am thankful for the mental pictures, sound bites a...

I was challenged by something I heard recently while participating in Rick Warren’s “40 Days of Love” Bible study. Warren was speaking about recreation and how important it is for all of us to engage in activities that re-energize us emotionally. Recreation is not something I think about regularly. In fact, when he first said the word, I thought of my younger days playing basketball for the county Park & Recreation department – clearly, I was missing the point. Dictionary.com defines “recreation” as: 1. refreshment by means of some pastime, agreeable exercise, or the like. 2. a pastime, diversion, exercise, or other resource affording relaxation and enjoyment. Literally, recreation means to re-create or create anew. Preferred methods of “recreating” vary among individuals, since we all define pleasure and work differently. For example, Warren said that as a pastor, author and speaker, he works with his mind every day. For recreation, he likes to work with his hands for a chang...

I have encountered many “firsts” this year that accompanied my life changes - graduating from college, transitioning into a full-time job and getting married. Many additional firsts come along with marriage. Everything is fresh and exciting as a newlywed – even consuming a simple meal such as spaghetti can be exciting when you realize it’s the first time you’ve eaten spaghetti sitting across the table from your husband! John and I are about to experience our first Christmas season as a married couple. I’ve been blessed to celebrate seven holiday seasons with him, but this year will be completely different since we are now our own family unit. That means a lot of things – including the fact that we now have to cook something for all of the holiday potluck meals we will enjoy with our families! Yikes. Seriously though, I’m excited that we have the opportunity to set our own traditions. We can decide how we will celebrate Jesus’ birth from 2009 forward and what we will incorporate into ou...

I recently took my car to a drive-through carwash for the first time. I realize that many of you may be surprised by this, but yes, I had never been through one. As a teenager, I was blessed to have a dad who enjoyed washing cars – it was recreational for him. However, now that I am married, he probably would not appreciate me parking in his driveway and asking for a wash. Anyway, as I anxiously sat inside of my happy little car last week, waiting to go through the stall, I had an interesting thought. Going through a drive-through carwash is kind of like deciding to trust God with a situation in your life. Stick with me here for a minute. I first had to DECIDE to go to the carwash. Then I had to make a sacrifice – I gave up money for the service, and I also lost something along the way; an employee unscrewed my antennae and handed it to me before I drove through. Then I had to totally relinquish control. I was not expecting that, but a sign with a flashing yellow light told me to put t...

Well, I did it. I have been toying with the idea of blogging for quite a while now, and I've decided to just sit down and give it a try. Be patient and bear with me here as I navigate through the blogosphere and get used to this. My content may not always be compelling or juicy, but this is new territory that I have wanted to explore for quite a while now. So, here goes. I feel like God has things He wants to share - both with me and for the purpose of me to share with others. This will be a good exercise of discipline for me, forcing me to pay attention and really listen - and hopefully it will be fruitful for you as well. Thanks for meeting me here. I look forward to listening and sharing with you - good things are to come. He promises us that indeed.