Why I'm Hopeful...and optimistic, and courageous

  

  I was reading the TIME magazine during a slow time at work yesterday.
Usually there is not much in the magazine that appeals to me but the drift of the February 18 copy is all about Optimism. Or, as I see it - HOPE.

  There is a section of thoughts on Optimism titled "The Optimists" and the first thoughts are by Guillermo Del Toro - didn't know who this was until I researched him - but I really enjoyed his thoughts and wanted to build on them.

You can read the whole article here Why I'm Hopeful (*caution - language alert)

  As I was reading his article I wondered if he had ever figured God and Jesus into his thoughts. I wondered about his God-Shaped hole and whether he acknowledges that God is in his life shaping his optimism.

  I especially like his opening sentence - Optimism is Radical. It reminds me that Jesus is radical, that believing in Heaven is radical, that I am radical as His follower.

 Optimism is not uncool; it is rebellious and daring and vital.

  I am an Optimist - I am a glass-half-full person - I may not be daring in the eyes of the world in the choices that I make, but I know that following Jesus is daring. And following Jesus is Hopeful and Optimistic.

  Mr. Del Toro ends his article with the following thought "Look around you now and decide between the two. Inhale or die."  I would build on his words - look around you and decide whether to be courageous, optimistic and hopeful.

  Joshua 1:9 " Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord you God is with you wherever you go."

 

I leave you with a song - from my favorites - the Group VBS  people:  Wherever You Go

Confidence that leads to Hope

So give me faith like Daniel in the lion’s den

Give me hope like Moses in the wilderness

Give me a heart like David, Lord be my defense

So I can face my giants with confidence

I’m not a warrior

I’m too afraid to lose

I feel unqualified for what you’re calling me to

But Lord with your strength

I’ve got no excuse

'Cause broken people are exactly who you use

Confidence - Sanctus Real

  I love listening to Moody radio on my way to work each day - we wake up to it on the alarm and in addition to the morning music we get the weather, traffic, and news. 

  This morning Jason was sharing that his family is dealing with some "giants" that they need to rely on the Lord for - and because of that their family has adopted the above song for their motto. 

  As I listened to the song I was encouraged to think about where my HOPE and CONFIDENCE lies. 

  I did some research on the Hope of Moses as he led the Israelites through the wilderness. I found a blog by Jennifer Maggio which had some words of Hope for me today:

   "The Israelites were rescued from slavery through the leadership of Moses. He led a national revolt, because God spoke to him to do so. He gathered the people and they literally ran for their lives as the Egyptians came chasing them. They had been beaten, abused, malnourished, and mistreated. And they get to the other side of the Red Sea --- God showed up and gave them a miracle. And they get to other side of the Red Sea and the real testing began. They waited for their deliverance to the Promised Land for 400 years.  Testing comes.

    Exodus 13:17-18  says that God did not lead the Israelites along the easiest route, even though it was the shortest way. He said that if it got too tough and they were faced with a battle, they might just change their minds and give up! They might just turn around and go home!

  Think about that for a minute. 

       Have you been asking God why? 

            Why am I here? 

                   Why am I wandering? 

                          Could it be that you’re being led in a roundabout way, because God is teaching you? 

    Don’t ask why – just drive!

   When you come out of the wilderness, out of the season of testing – there’s rest. There’s peace. There’s hope. So replenish during this time. Take the time to assess what you’ve learned during that time in the wilderness. Take the time to rest in Christ’s eternal peace. 

   One of the fruits of the spirit is hope. 

   Hope was given when you accepted Christ as your Savior." 

                    

Hope - in the News???

I posted this on my Facebook page yesterday after I was so discouraged by the "News" I read online and in my local paper:


Good News Wins

     "Too much of what passes for U.S. news coverage these days is actually news about news, full of angles instead of straight storytelling on what’s actually happening in the world. 

 But the upside-down rejoicing the apostles discovered is the deeper resilient joy that comes from cultivating first a realistic awareness of the world, then an appreciation for God at work in it."

I have spent a lot of time since reading that great article thinking about the Hope I have because God is at work in the world around me no matter what I may read, or what is really happening.  

I can look at the world around me with realistic eyes and Hope because God is in control. I am brought back to one of my favorite verses where God is speaking: Isaiah 46:10 (NIV)

"I make known the end from the beginning,

from ancient times, what is still to come.

I say, ‘My purpose will stand,

 and I will do all that I please.’"

Hope that God knows what is going on - Big, Big picture - and He has a purpose and I am good with that because I am resting on His Firm Foundation!

How Firm A Foundation - Fernando Ortega

So if you want some good news - start with reading your Bible, then check out World Magazine online or Ann Voskamp for some encouraging news.

One Word - Hope!

  A new year - 2019 - wow, I am getting old. Who would have thought - but I think it is even more interesting to think that next year will be 2020 - sounds very futuristic!
  Enough of that now.

  At our church here in Chattanooga, Covenant Presbyterian Church, there are a group of ladies who have been invited to join a Facebook group called One Word 2019. I have been invited this year and have joined the group.

 The idea is to study just One Word from God's Word, the Bible, for a whole year. I am excited to study my word - HOPE. If you need a "get-in-the-word" challenge - join me! Comment on this post with your word and we will spend 52 weeks finding our word in The Word to us from God - The Bible

  Each week I will give you my verse that talks about Hope that I have meditated on that week, along with photos of coloring pages I used and songs I listened too.

Week 1 - Romans 15:13 -  

New International Version (NIV)

    "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Key words: God, Hope, Joy, Peace, Trust, Overflow, Power, Holy Spirit

Favorite Commentary on Passage: Ligonier Commentary

Thoughts: This is a prayer asking God to fill me with Hope - God is my Hope and will provide me with Hope. How often do I forget to ask God for anything. Because I am full of sin I forget or loose my Hope on a regular basis, it is good to know I can ask for it, and God will even provide Hope that leads to joy and peace when I don't ask. Thinking about Hope regularly will lead to joy and peace and increase my Trust and then it will overflow into the rest of my life and those I connect with - Cool!!

Song: Benediction - Chery Keaggy

Free Coloring page for Romans 15:13

The Creative Juices are flowing again

    I can't believe it has been a whole year since I have posted on our blog. It has been a year of changes in so many ways.

    We finished our mission term in Canada this past June and have been re-acclimating to the U.S. and our home in Chattanooga.

    Instead of giving you all the gory details, I would like to move our blog in a new direction.

    I want to share words, photos, verses, jokes, and maybe even a poem of Encouragement with you as I find them throughout the day, week, month and year.

    So enjoy the last weeks of 2017 with me as we count Down to the celebration of Jesus coming to earth and then count Up to the New Year.

    Ups and Downs - that's what life is made of - we need to Encourage each other as we travel through life.

   Thanks for following along.

The 12 Words of Christmas

 The 12 words the angels proclaimed as they first announced it—“A Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord”—thereby ending the apparent silence of God for the prior 400-plus years. With the birth of Jesus, each and every person could now know and have a real relationship with God.

    As he is relating the account, Pastor Louie Giglio maintains that the first Christmas was chaotic and came at the busiest time of year—on tax day. With that, the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth were also less than perfect. He states that the only perfect things on the night that Jesus was born were the baby, and the message the angels gave announcing His birth.
(The Twelve Words of Christmas part 1, Louie Giglio)
(The Twelve Words of Christmas, part 2)
(The Twelve Words of Christmas, part 3)

  Mr. Giglio emphasizes his point well, that Jesus, the Savior of the World, had come for exactly that very reason—to land right in the middle of chaotic humanity and be the very presence of God. Giglio takes that particular thrust of the story and brings it to the forefront of people’s lives everywhere today. 








  Christmas is not necessarily a perfect time of life, but the perfect One Himself has come, and He is available and reaching out to each person in every kind of circumstance. 
   







  As some friends of ours reminded us:

       In the Christmas story in Matthew 1 and Luke 1-2 the angel that appears to the main characters of the story addresses all of them by saying, "Don't be afraid". 
      Today fear is gripping our world like a strong man grips a small boy's hand to hurt him. 
     We all feel it everyday. 
     BUT, the message of the Christmas story when personally believed releases us from fear and gives us a lasting inner peace forever! 
     The message is simple - The God of the Bible truly wants to "walk among us and be our God" , Leviticus 26:12.

Merry Christmas to all of you today!
(With a little scenery thrown in for those of our family
who live in the south!)

Longings and Disappointment

So it's coming down to a matter of hours now - 3 days = 72 hours.

 And if you aren't super busy and chaotic it can creep in - the Longings of times past and "the way it used to be".

This little book brings up some thoughts to muse on...

"Even in laughter the heart may ache." Proverbs 14:13

"Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, ...

is one who sings songs to a heavy heart." Proverbs 25:20

Think back on your Christmas past - 

when you were a kid and didn't know what a Credit Card was...

When you were a teenager and were invincible...

When your kid's faces lit up with the gifts you bought them...

And now...

the chair now empty

the family member who is only in a photo

the words you wish you could take back

"Each heart knows its own bitterness,

and no one else can share its joy."  Proverbs 14:10

Or maybe it's the elusive goal of Christmas Contentment...and the Disappointments that come instead.

Read the book of Ecclesiastes - that other book that Solomon had a hand in writing. The author who had everything still wonders what it's all about and why he even bothered.

So, this Christmas - don't, don't, DON'T forget that we have someone much better than Solomon and all his riches and wisdom to CELEBRATE!

   Looking forward to that 
Happy Birthday Jesus Party!!! 

Christmas - A time for forgetting self.

"He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." Proverbs 11:25

"He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done." Proverbs 19:17
  

  This past Thursday, Howard and I went to the Lethbridge Correctional Center and brought Christmas to the inmates who are there during the holidays. They were given a paper bag colored by children from local schools, filled with cookies and treats, a tube of toothpaste, some Irish Spring soap and a bottle of Gatorade. Given in the name of Jesus with Christmas Carols sung and many handshakes given.

This coming Monday, December 19th, we will celebrate Christmas with our Amazing Kids and their families. It will be a packed house I am sure. We will sing, and eat - CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN ANYONE?,  and learn a bit about Jesus through the story of his birth. 


  Next Tuesday I will go again to the Lethbridge food bank and help hand out Christmas hampers to those in our area who are out of work during this time of year, or just need a little extra to make it through the month. I have been volunteering there since last June when a group of folks from Tennessee helped us get acquainted with their work. I meet so many great people and hear their stories.



  
    Tomorrow morning I will ask the kids of Amazing Grace Community Church what they think they need for Christmas during the lighting of the Advent candle. Pastor Rohan will share a message called Christmas is about A Savior – “Fulfillment of what you Need” 

 What do I really need for Christmas?   I need to get out of the house and move into the neighborhood....
  Just as Jesus did those many years ago.

The Word became a human being

and lived here with us.

We saw his true glory, 

the glory of the only Son

of the Father.

From him all the kindness

and all the truth of God

have come down to us.             

John 1:14 

Do I have to it "IT ALL" Done before Christmas?

What is this mysterious "ALL" that I am trying to get done before Christmas?  

Is it those Christmas Cards that haven't been sent? 

(You will be getting them before New Years!)

Is it our special holiday cookies that only make an appearance at Christmas? 



(I finally found the Andes mints and the cookies are baked and hidden)

Is it the preparations for those Christmas programs? The shopping that still needs to be done? The home-made gifts that are half finished. The dinner party to plan? The parties to attend?

Whatever it is, I know that each year I feel the same crunch in the week before Christmas. So it was refreshing to re-read the "little book" this morning where Steven Estes talks about Perfectionism.  I loved his reminder "God has bigger plans for you than the perfect dinner. That's why he lets things go wrong. He's saving your appetite for the perfect eternity"

"You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail"?  Proverbs 19:21

I may have designs for what I want my Christmas to look like, but I need to CHILL and let the unexpected happen - or not.

Kids and Christmas!

     Day 4 in our little holiday book with musings from Proverbs has the theme of Children. Beginning with the familiar "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it" Proverbs 22:6

      Every Monday afternoon here in Lethbridge a small group of us bring together local children and spend time with them.  The Amazing Kids program has us sharing time, food, fun, and the gospel message with these kids. We are working on training children in the stories of Jesus.  

      This Monday the Kindergarten to 2nd graders donned costumes and practiced our little Christmas story to share with our parents next week at our annual Christmas Party.

      Enjoy some of our "dress-rehearsal" photos -  Remember to pray for our Amazing Kids and their families during this Christmas season. 

Mary, aka Selena

King Herod, aka Jigme

Soldier, aka Justice

Magi, aka Zakyra

Angel, aka Akayla

Angel, aka Chloe

Shepherd, aka Hader 

Joseph, aka Josie

"I don't want to be in the play", aka Kiya
(2nd year for her to say this - ha)

       

Inn Keeper, aka Loxie

Gifts

Proverbs 20:14 - "'it's no good, it's no good!' says the buyer - who then goes off and boasts about the purchase"

Shopping - I love to shop - for a good deal!

I rarely go to the full price rack, I know where all the sale racks are at our local stores.

And thrift stores - there are 4 great ones here in Lethbridge, and I visit them every other week or so. lately it has been to get some puzzles for our winter evenings.

But Christmas shopping?  It has become less enjoyable as I get older, maybe because of the same reason I see other people "of a certain age" posting this saying:

As you grow older, your Christmas list gets smaller; the things you really want for the holidays can’t be bought.

It's true!  

So I was thankful that our kids suggested that for Christmas this year we get the grand-kids some "time". I will be taking them places and making memories when I visit after Christmas. Howard will be taking them places and making memories when he travels home at the end of January. 

Mary Kate

Charlee Marie

Finn

Carson

Emily

Things will pass away, memories and time will not.

"Two things I ask of you,
O Lord . . . .
give me neither poverty 
nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much 
disown you . . 
Or I may become poor and steal."
Proverbs 30:7-9

15 Days!

 You all know it too - there are only 15 days left until Christmas.  

     As part of our holiday season, today we start reading our little holiday book - A BETTER December by Steven Estes. We picked this little gem up a few years ago and shared it with our small group and our family.

  These thoughts from the book of Proverbs have calmed me down the last few years - helped me to put this whole busy season into perspective, helped as Mr. Estes says "give an arresting twist on our modern Decembers gone crazy".

  The perspective that - YES, it is important to celebrate the arrival of Jesus on the planet earth. But NO, I will not be caught up in all of the hype and hoopla to the detriment of my health and sanity.

  That being the hope again this year, I am setting a goal of sharing a thought each day from what we read in our little book with you. As we move through these last two weeks before the 25th, enjoy some thoughts and photos to lighten your load.






  Solomon was the writer of Proverbs, and Steven proposes that he wrote about Christmas 1000 years before the first one occurred.

   "The coolness of snow...refreshes the spirit"    Proverbs 25:13 
 

    Well, not maybe when it's snow and below zero temps - way below - like, get up early and start the car 20 minutes before you can go to the YMCA each morning cold.



   But, as I told Howard the other day - the snow is still beautiful - every time, even when you have to drive in it, and even when the cold causes the windows on the inside of the new church building to ice over while the heat is trying to keep the building above freezing.

 












 
"an ornament of fine gold" 

                  Proverbs 25:12 

 I still love putting up a tree and hanging our memories on the branches - the little reminders of times past and homemade gifts. The sparkle and lights brighten up the short days during winter

  


 "perfume and incense bring joy to the heart"                                                  Proverbs 27:9 

  And then there are the candles and cookies!  All those great smells that fill the house. Good smells bring joy to my heart every day.  Whether it is the vanilla and cinnamon candle or the smell of the pot roast cooking in the oven.


   Slow down this year - stop and look at the snow, the lights, and enjoy the smells of the season. God's gifts are all around us.