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The Struggles to Success

Posted in christmas, GOD, WONDER, tagged #humbleking, #risebydescending, #studentswithspecialneeds, #thestrugglestosuccess, @humility on December 15, 2016| Leave a Comment »

humility

The past week has highlighted for me that I am so very blessed by the workplace community that I am part of, the people who I share the work with and the students who I am paid to assist.

The students I work with, work SO hard! Classes are SO challenging! Finding and maintaining friendships can be a daily struggle.

Earlier this week I was humbled by a student who I rarely get to work with. This student has struggles, for certain, but also great strengths. This year, I have felt like I needed to get to know this teen better. So I aimed to be intentional to say hi, inquire about their weekend, ask about things of interest. Then, the other day, I received a gift from them. I was speechless (a rarity, for sure). A small gift, roughly wrapped by the hands that offered it to me. It was those hands that offered a gift to me, that melted my heart, for I felt as though I needed to be the giver, not the receiver.

Then a student who exhibited great strength and the fortitude to do what was difficult, to be the bigger person, offering well wishes to someone who caused her sadness. As I watched the the humble act, I watched this student grow in years of maturity, right in front of me. This student, with special needs, initiated reconciliation and redemption of relationship right in front of my face … and I wondered if I would humble myself in such a way.

These students are laying the foundation well, for a great tower!

As we celebrate the Christmas season, we are celebrating the birth of the humble king, the ultimate humility. Born as a human baby, grew up in a family of humble means, then he humbled himself to the point of death.

“being found in human form, he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him
the name that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:8-11

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Where is Jesus this Christmas?

Posted in christmas, GOD, WONDER, tagged "hopelovejoypeace, #christmas2016, #faithwithoutworks, #whereisjesus, #whereisjesusthischristmas on December 11, 2016| 1 Comment »

where

“Does your nativity have Jesus?”

I collect nativity sets, and was bidding on one. As the time came for the bidding to be over, I took another look at the online image to ensure that all of the significant characters were present, and I could not be sure that Jesus was there. So, I sent off a message to the seller, asking if her nativity had Jesus. The replay was that yes it did, Mary was holding him.

If you are a Christian, and if you are on social media, you have seen the posts that go something like this:

“lets keep Christ in Christmas”

This is a valid and appropriate comment, for followers of Christ, but what are we really communicating? And (more importantly) what does our communicating this really communicate?

When I see such posts, I find my head nodding up and down in agreement … then my conscience gets the better of me, because I realize that (for me) I am longing for ‘the good ‘ol days‘. You see I grew up in a time when Christmas was still very much about the birth of the Christ child. Even school programs at this season were about the nativity, or at least featured Christmas hymns. In those days you could still find nativity sets on the shelves of department stores. And this was the season that the non-church member found a seat in a pew.

Today is not the ‘the good ‘ol days‘ of old.

Today, as believers, we need to do something to communicate our faith, not just post words of disgust, or disappointment, or condemnation.

James 2:14-19 remind us of this very thing:

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.“

Perhaps, rather than fill our social media posts with longings for the days when we shared the in the beliefs of the majority, we should actually do something for those around us that communicates the hope, peace, love and joy of Christ …

In Matthew 5 Jesus begins his Sermon on the Mount, his magnum opus (until his crucifixion, raising from the dead and rising into heaven). These are the words that, as followers of Christ, we ought to hang on.

“you are the salt of the earth”

If we are the salt, lets start sprinkling love on those around us.

“you are the light of the world”

If we are the light, shine like we are reflecting the one who resides in us.

Does your nativity have Jesus?

Go spice up and bring light to the world, not with your posts, but with your deeds.

“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
Fall on your knees …”
O Holy Night

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Like a Winter Snow

Posted in christmas, GOD, WONDER, tagged #audreyassad, #likeawintersnow, #quietking, #snowloving, #somethingsosmall on December 8, 2016| 1 Comment »

sno

A few days ago the wet west coast had a different weather system roll in. The air has a chill, the skies are brighter, snow has fallen and there are rumours of more flakey precipitation to come.

I am in a state of delight!

As we drove to work and school the other day, I was pointing out the beauty all aloud us, as though I was on speed.

“Just look at that blue sky”

“The white on that field is inviting”

“Oh those mountains! Fresh snow, and such a beautiful pink hue around them”

Now I know (because I’ve been there) that those (who live in other parts) who see the first snow fall and sigh, knowing that they will not see the end of it for six more months. But this weather change has birthed in me a joy and energy that have been sorely missed these last weeks (months) of rain-magenden!

How is it that something so small, something that makes me have to work harder (all those layers of clothes and boots), something that will cost me (when the natural gas bill arrives), something that others despise could cause such a change in the innermost parts of who I am?

Like the freshly falling snow, came the long-expected Jesus.

So small, some would say too small for a king. Helpless, dependent yet pure, innocent and captivating.

His arrival meant we would have to work harder. No longer bound by the Law, both Jews and Gentiles had a model of how to live, and following his lead would me, does mean, more effort, greater intentionality in what we say and do.

His human birth came with human cost … to him, through his willingness to endure the cross (and all that surrounded that) and to us. He has given us two promises: “in this wold you will have trouble” (John 16:33), but the second is the remedy for the first, “I am with you always, even until the end of time” (Matthew 28:20).

His arrival was not joyfully anticipated or even believed … then, or now. The prophet, Isaiah, said, “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem” (Isaiah 53:3). The world of humans still choose to eat of the tree of their own choosing … but, he does not force himself on us, for it was he who gave us the choice to make … he knows that love is most favourable when we can choose it freely.

His voice was quiet, soft and slow. Like a Winter Snow came our redeemer …

Could’ve come like a mighty storm
With all the strength of a hurricane
You could’ve come like a forest fire
With the power of Heaven in Your flame

But You came like a winter snow
Quiet and soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below

You could’ve swept in like a tidal wave
Or an ocean to ravish our hearts
You could have come through like a roaring flood
To wipe away the things we’ve scarred

But You came like a winter snow, yes, You did
You were quiet, You were soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below

Ooh no, Your voice wasn’t in a bush burning
No, Your voice wasn’t in a rushing wind
It was still, it was small, it was hidden

Oh, You came like a winter snow
Quiet and soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below

Falling, oh yeah, to the earth below
You came falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below

Audrey Nicole Assad

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Thoughts on Gifts

Posted in christmas, WONDER, tagged #chritstmas2016, #livegivinggifts, #thoughtsongifts, advent on December 4, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Jesus on the cross

near the end of life.

water is offered

it would only satisfy temporarily.

vinegar was given

a sour taste in his mouth,

increasing his suffering in his last hours.

the sour effects of some gifts,

even if given with a good pure heart,

sour is sour.

at his birth the gifts were gold, frankinsence and myrrh.

those gifts, although not “baby safe”,

gave and enhanced his real life.

the gifts of the Maggi

given by strangers,

yet these wise men understood what was needed for life.

gold, frankincense and myrrh they were expensive, valuable, extravagant

but, the givers knew they would give life.

Gold, because of it’s value, could be sold.

Frankincense and Myrrh

astringents, and more,

would be used each day, to improve life.

do we give gifts that are life-giving?

or ones that leave a sour taste in our mouths?

As we continue to walk through this advent season,

may we, in anticipation of the greatest gift of love,

consider giving gifts that are life-giving.

not sour, but ever lastly sweet.

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Speechless, Breathless

Posted in christmas, WONDER, tagged #advent2016, #secondcomingofchrist, #speechlessbreathless, Hope on November 27, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Sometimes I am rendered speechless, breathless …

sky

After a day that was dark and dreary, I awoke to fog illuminated by the sun behind. Soon to follow were skies of cyan blue. This little corner of the world shone as if the heavens, themselves, were smiling down.

Today is about beauty,

about light,

about hope.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the season of the coming of the Christ, the Saviour. As the first Sunday of Advent, it is the day of HOPE.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:5

The coming of the Christ, for the Jews, meant the hope of the fulfillment of the prophets foretelling of the freedom for their people. The second coming of Christ, for all, means an end to death and dying, with the return of Christ comes the rising of the dead.

My son started a job this weekend, at a Christmas tree farm. He awoke to torrential rains which continued all day long. Thankfully, he (and I) had ensured that he had rain gear at the ready, and so he was prepared.

Titus 2:11-15 tells us that we should be preparing for this second coming of Christ:

“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.”

As we walk these days, through the Advent season, may our first steps be secure in the hope that shines in this dark world … rendering us speechless, breathless …

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Looking for Light

Posted in christmas, WONDER, tagged #advent2016, #lightshinesinthedark, #lookingforlight, #onthelookoutforwonder on November 22, 2016| Leave a Comment »

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This coming weekend, many Christian churches will begin to celebrate the season of Advent. It is a season on the Christian calendar which is intended for preparation of the coming celebration of birth of Jesus. Advent, as a word (in the Latin) means ‘coming’ and it is the coming of the Son of God, in human form, that we celebrate.

As with each year, the beginning of Advent follows two other days, familiar to North Americans, American Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

Thursday, November 24, Thanksgiving is celebrated by the Americans.
According to Wikipedia, American Thanksgiving “became an official Federal holiday in 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” I believe, though, that it began, unofficially, with a feasting of the pilgrims and native Americans, after the safe arrival in the new land.

Friday, November 25, Black Friday is celebrated by North American shoppers.
Black Friday was a name given to the day following Thanksgiving, in Philadelphia, because of the increased traffic of that day. It has also been associated with the belief that many retailers do not go ‘into the black’ (financially) until that day … personally I refer to it as Black-eye Friday … just sayin’.

Then there is Sunday, December 27, when the celebration of Advent is begun by Christian churches.
The season offers the opportunity to share in the ancient longing for the coming of the Messiah, and to be alert for his Second Coming.

All of these celebrations are greatly subscribed to, all are annual events, and none of them have to be negative.

The celebration, known as Thanksgiving, is one filled with food, family and thanks. Though we live best, live healthiest, if we live with thanksgiving in our hearts every day of the year. To be truly thankful is to give thanks to God, even when our outward circumstances do not make us feel thankful.

John 1:1-4 tells us what we can always be thankful for:

“At the beginning of time the Word already was; and God had the Word abiding with him, and the Word was God. He abode, at the beginning of time, with God. It was through him that all things came into being, and without him came nothing that has come to be. In him there was life, and that life was the light of men.

Then there is Black Friday, the unofficial start to the Christmas shopping season. Somehow, though, this tradition has gotten dark … very dark. Each year there are stories of violence and aggression in the shopping malls. Greed and selfish ambition seem to extinguish the light that we receive through giving thanks.

And, once again, John (1:5) seems to remind us of the light to come:

“And the light shines in darkness, a darkness which was not able to master it”

Finally we have Sunday … Advent. It is anticipation personified … literally! It begins this coming Sunday, and includes each of the four weeks prior to Christmas Day. This is the season of remembering the waiting that the Jews have done prior to (and since) the birth of the Christ the Messiah.

And, back to John (1:6-9):

“A man appeared, sent from God, whose name was John. He came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, so that through him all men might learn to believe. He was not the Light; he was sent to bear witness to the light. There is one who enlightens every soul born into the world; he was the true Light.

Jesus is that light, that John (the Baptist) was sent to witness. It is Jesus who gives us reason to be thankful. In our giving of gifts, we should be reminded that the gift of God, himself, was given for the world.

We wait, always on the lookout, for the presence of wonder.

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Carol for Christmas

Posted in christmas, WONDER, tagged alison krauss, beautiful voice, celebration, christmas, christmas carol, christmas day, merry christmas, the wexford carol, wikipedia on December 26, 2013| 1 Comment »

On this day of continued celebration, of thankfulness, of love (and, for some, loneliness) my only offerings are a video of a most beautiful Christmas Carol, sung by a woman with a beautiful voice.

I pray you have had a most merry of Christmas seasons!

Carole

According to Wikipedia, “The Wexford Carol” is one of the oldest extant Christmas carols in the European tradition,” possibly dating back to the 12th century!

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What Makes Ones Life Wonderful?

Posted in christmas, WONDER, tagged Christmas Classic, Dreams, Friends, George Bailey, It's a wonderful life, Wonder on December 25, 2013| 3 Comments »

What makes ones life wonderful?

The other night I came into the bedroom to see hubby watching the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” … without me! So I climbed into the blankets, snuggled up against him, and we watched the last part together. Many years ago it was hubby who introduced this classic to me. And every year since, it has become a part of our Christmas season.

It is a story of looking back, looking at today and looking forward into the future (kind of like Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol’). It is a story of hopelessness and of hope. It is a story of redemption.

The movie is focused on George, a man who had always wanted to travel the world. It also tells of his life’s impact on others, not by any one big thing that he did or accomplished, but just by living, and making choices (just like all of us).

In this movie we learn that George never did get to travel the world. He never followed his dream.

To many of us that seems like such a loss, like such a waste. Our society tells us that ‘we can do it’, that ‘if you can dream it you can achieve it’. Even within the Christian culture we (and by ‘we’ I mean ‘I’ as well) often believe our dreams and passions are the ways that God reveals our purpose in life, and the outworking of the gifts and talents that He has created us with. When we think this way, we become very dependent on fulfilling our dreams, to accomplish a wonderful life.

But, is it in following our dreams that we can live the wonderful life?

For George, his realization of his wonderful life came from the blessing of seeing his life, as others saw it. He had indeed had a wonderful life. And his wonderful life came from the impact his own life had on all around him, not through his pursuit of his dreams, but through his care for others. And, in the end, they reciprocated … big time.

The final, and most beautiful reminder of what it is that makes a life wonderful life, is when George reads the inscription his angel-friend Clarence writes in a book for him, “Dear George, remember no man is a failure who has friends.”

It is not in achieving a dream that we have a wonderful (or, dare I say, wonderfilled) life, but in sharing our life with others who we can call friends.

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Christmas Eve Tradition

Posted in christmas, The Kids, WONDER, tagged Candy, christmas, Dad, Handed Down, Kids, Shopping, Traditions on December 24, 2013| 3 Comments »

Well, being the highly spiritual family that we are, the Christmas Eve tradition that I am about to share will surely amaze all who read about it.

This family tradition goes back to my hubby’s family, and specifically, with his dad.

Hubby fondly remembers that on Christmas Eve he and his big brother would go to the grocery store with their dad. They would buy whatever staples the family would need for the Christmas feast to be enjoyed the following day.

But, that was not all! Hubby’s father would also treat his boys to some treats that were not regular purchases for their cash strapped family. Things like potato chips, pop and ice cream.

When hubby and I started a family he was confident that this tradition must go on. And it still does. Around mid afternoon, on December 24th, hubby and the kids load into the family vehicle. They head to our local grocery store … with sugar plums dancing in their heads!

When at the store they pick up whatever list of items that I need to prepare the roast beast the next day. And then they pick up their treats. The only way to define their purchases, is to say that they purchase all of the items that I would almost never buy. Things like sugary cereals, ice cream (but not vanilla … a flavor resembling a favorite chocolate bar), pops (sodas, for the American reader), and candy.

Then they come home, hyped up on the anticipation of eating all of the treats that they have purchased.

There are also huge amounts of eagerness to show their treasures to me, since those are treasures that I would never purchase (a bit of gloating is what is happening).

I love that our kids have this special tradition with their dad. I love that it is something that they only share with him. To me that is worth the nutritional emptiness of what they have bought. Spiritual? No. But definitely memory-creating! And the oral stories that get passed down from year to year will continue on into the future lives of our kids, as they grow and form their own families.

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All is Well

Posted in christmas, WONDER, tagged All is Well, christmas, Christmas Eve, Michael W. Smith, Music, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Worship on December 23, 2013| 1 Comment »

Seriously, the above is my all time favorite Christmas Eve music. The lyrics speak of the majesty and the mystery of this night. And it is presented in a manner and style that is both lullabye and epic orchestral sound all in one. It can wind you down into sleep, and awaken your soul profoundly all at the same time.

Christmas Eve is just hours away. All of the material (and edible) preparations have been made for the big event. Now it is time to prepare my heart, my mind and my soul, so that I can be fully engaged in the event that this weekend represents.

There is so little that I could add to the message of Christmas, that this piece of music hasn’t already communicated.

All is well all is well
Angels and men rejoice
For tonight darkness fell
Into the dawn of love’s light

Light has come into the world … into the darkness of the world that we know, to light our way.

Sing A-le
Sing Alleluia
All is well all is well
Let there be peace on earth
Christ is come go and tell
That He is in the manger
Sing A-le
Sing Alleluia

Go and tell … this is not a ‘Secret Santa’ gift, it is not just for you or me, it is for all, and it is for all who already know of this Christ to share this news … this good news.

All is well all is well
Lift up your voice and sing

Back to my hobby horse obsession (My Hobbyhorse Obsession-Revived) … sing!

Born is now Emmanuel
Born is our Lord and Savior
Sing Alleluia
Sing Alleluia
All is well