Every good and perfect gift is from above...(James 1:17) Wow, have I felt poured down upon. Remember the old hymn, There Shall be Showers of Blessings. Beside the beauty of the snow that we have delighted in this past week, I have been filled to the full with the delight of family. To begin with, our Coffee Oasis family is so excited about Jesus. The worship and praise times have been bonding to our Lord and Savior. And the excitement of proclaiming Him to the individuals that God brings along our paths is invigorating. I can't put words to the excitement of seeing others grasping God's salvation and amazing goodness. Our larger Hope in Christ family has enthusiastically entered into God's moving to provide the drive thru to expand the Coffee Oasis business and training. God's provision has been unbelievable. It is on Him alone that we depend and He alone has provided! Showers of Blessing!
Then yesterday (Christmas) we were warmed to the depths of our hearts as we spent the day with our children, grandchild(!), parents, siblings, neices and nephews and 4 "extra" family. Oh, the blessing of a godly heritage. Oh, the sweet fellowship with those with whom we have shared life for so many years. God has been, is, and will be truly good, always!
Friday, December 26, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
They Found Him
"So the shepherds hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child." (Luke 2:16,17) "'...a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.'" (2:11)
I am constantly challenged in my heart to "spread the word concerning what has been told to me about this child." Yet sometimes I feel so inept. How do I turn a conversation to what is so important to me. It's easy to talk about anything else that I'm jazzed about. And I am jazzed about Christ the Lord. Oh, that I would be bold. Oh, that I would glow from the edges just as the photo of our lawn display shows.
I am constantly challenged in my heart to "spread the word concerning what has been told to me about this child." Yet sometimes I feel so inept. How do I turn a conversation to what is so important to me. It's easy to talk about anything else that I'm jazzed about. And I am jazzed about Christ the Lord. Oh, that I would be bold. Oh, that I would glow from the edges just as the photo of our lawn display shows.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Fullness and Emptiness
"Futility of thinking...darkened in their understanding...hardening of their hearts...lost all sensitivity...given themselves over...with a continual lust for more." (Ephesians 4) Bleak! I felt surrounded on Friday night as I sat on the edge of the stage next to S.
"Are you still with L.?" I asked her. "I saw him walking downtown this afternoon and you weren't with him."
"Oh, no," was her immediate response. "He was too controlling."
Did this surprise me? No. I honestly can't count the number of boyfriends I have seen come and go in S.'s life. Each one is her hope for the security, love and care that she so deeply longs for. Friday night she was cozy with D. Two weeks ago D. had proposed to another girl while he was drunk and that was the drama going around our Teen Night Outreach. Now, he kept kissing S. every other sentence as we were trying to talk. Totally distracting and meaningless!
At the same time, right in front of me, M., a street mom, in her 30's was cozying up to C. who is a young gal just 20. The physical affection was uncomfortable. Actually, it was sickening. Futility, dark, hardened, lost, given over, continual lust for more! (Yes, we have rules regarding the public display of affection, but at this moment, it was out the window.)
I felt crushed in upon by the depravity around me. It was ugly. It was empty. Actually, I would say that it was "full" of emptiness! There was no room in these kid's lives on Friday night for anything but the emptiness that they were given over to. Any words of truth spoken fell on dull ears. Ephesians 4 talks of this way of life as being corrupted by deceitful desires.
In sharp contrast, the beginning of Ephesians 4 directs our thoughts to a life that is completely humble, patient, bearing with one another in love. God's people prepared for works of service. The purpose being so that we can built up the body of Christ. The ultimate goal: attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. It was that manifestation of the fullness of Christ in the early believers that earned them the title of "Christian" from the world around them. What am I manifesting in my life? What am I full of? Am I full of emptiness as I chase after futile things that lead me to continually lust for more? Or am I full of Christ? What does Christ see? What does the world around me see?
"Are you still with L.?" I asked her. "I saw him walking downtown this afternoon and you weren't with him."
"Oh, no," was her immediate response. "He was too controlling."
Did this surprise me? No. I honestly can't count the number of boyfriends I have seen come and go in S.'s life. Each one is her hope for the security, love and care that she so deeply longs for. Friday night she was cozy with D. Two weeks ago D. had proposed to another girl while he was drunk and that was the drama going around our Teen Night Outreach. Now, he kept kissing S. every other sentence as we were trying to talk. Totally distracting and meaningless!
At the same time, right in front of me, M., a street mom, in her 30's was cozying up to C. who is a young gal just 20. The physical affection was uncomfortable. Actually, it was sickening. Futility, dark, hardened, lost, given over, continual lust for more! (Yes, we have rules regarding the public display of affection, but at this moment, it was out the window.)
I felt crushed in upon by the depravity around me. It was ugly. It was empty. Actually, I would say that it was "full" of emptiness! There was no room in these kid's lives on Friday night for anything but the emptiness that they were given over to. Any words of truth spoken fell on dull ears. Ephesians 4 talks of this way of life as being corrupted by deceitful desires.
In sharp contrast, the beginning of Ephesians 4 directs our thoughts to a life that is completely humble, patient, bearing with one another in love. God's people prepared for works of service. The purpose being so that we can built up the body of Christ. The ultimate goal: attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. It was that manifestation of the fullness of Christ in the early believers that earned them the title of "Christian" from the world around them. What am I manifesting in my life? What am I full of? Am I full of emptiness as I chase after futile things that lead me to continually lust for more? Or am I full of Christ? What does Christ see? What does the world around me see?
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