Isaac: A Poem

I asked the year its name:

“Laughter.   He shall be called Laughter.”

But laughter must be marched to Moriah,

Bound to kindling,

Relinquished in offering,

Before it can dance back to the valley

Laughing.

When I wrote the above in January 2010, I had no idea of the twists and turns life would take over the next 12 months.  That's probably a good thing, because if I had known how much time would be spent at Moriah and how hard-won the laughter, I might have hidden under the covers and not come out.

God has once again proven Himself good and faithful through all the unexpected events of this year.  Family have  served as His hands and feet.  My patient husband is my hero.  That man is a prize, but you can't have him; he's mine.

All the same, I can't say I'm sorry to see 2010 go tonight.  Whatever 2010 has held for you, dear reader, whatever your thoughts and goals for 2011,

“‘“The LORD bless you
   and keep you;
 the LORD make his face shine on you
   and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you
   and give you peace.”’

Numbers 6:24-26, NIV

P.S. The dominant word in my thoughts and reading right now regarding 2011 is "delight."  Of course it would be, since the year called "Laughter" was so much fun.  Or maybe I'm just that slow to learn what my Father wants to teach me.

Book Review: On This Day in Christian History by Robert J. Morgan

Robert J. Morgan's devotional book, On This Day in Christian History, comprises 365 vignettes of people and events with some link to the given calendar date.  As the subtitle suggests, Morgan writes engagingly of "saints, martyrs, and heroes," but moreover of anti-heroes, heretics, and the nearly invisible saints most history books would overlook.

These stories vividly capture the adventure, courage, violence, romance, and conflict of the two millennia of Christian history so far.  I was surprised at how entertaining the stories proved.  Anyone who feels a duty to learn something more of the history of the church but has been deterred by expectations of the dryness of such study would enjoy and benefit from this book.  The author tells tightly woven stories with the skill of a seasoned sermon illustrator.

My favorite stories unveiled unknown heroes, like the college dean who put campus prankster William Graham in the pulpit for the first time, or Hudson Taylor's great-grandfather committing his family and future generations to the Lord's service.  The most difficult reads told of corruption in the highest offices of the church or of horribly inventive torture and death perpetrated by Christians against other dissenting believers.

Two overall applications also struck me and inspired worship: first, the truly amazing diversity within the body of Christ, from the perspectives of culture, chronology, temperament, theological bias, and gifting; and second, God's consistent ability to "strike a straight lick with a crooked stick."  The most heroic of heroes in the book are still flawed, and great good sometimes comes through the actions of great sinners.

A skeletal timeline or previous knowledge of key benchmarks in church history would be useful in placing each day's reading in context.  Otherwise, I positively recommend this book to Christians seeking an enjoyable, accessible introduction to the lives and examples of those who have preceded us.  It may also be beneficial in a family reading context, especially with older children and parental previews.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255  : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Gift of Christmas

Wherever you are this Christmas;
however you celebrate and
with whomever you spend the day:
surrounded by family,
working hard,
in a hospital,
far away from home and loved ones,
grieving,
volunteering,
or in solitude;
may the Lord make you especially aware of His presence and activity in your life today
and grant you joy.

Family and friends, gift exchanges, special foods, twinkle lights and decorations are all special, enjoyable parts of a Christmas celebration.  Not even the best of them, however, is essential to the day.  One precept the Lord seems to have been drumming into me this year is that none of these pleasures are my entitlement or to be taken for granted. At the same time, though, real joy in Christ is available even when they are pruned away.

No matter our circumstances this Christmas, Jesus has still come.  The eternal Word made flesh has invaded our humanity and redeemed it for His kingdom.  That is the true gift of Christmas and all we need for a celebration.

Let us worship and adore Him today!  May the Lord bless you this Christmas and always.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. The Word was with God in the beginning.  All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind.  And the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it.

A man came, sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that everyone might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was created by him, but the world did not recognize him.  He came to what was his own, but his own people did not receive him.  But to all who have received him – those who believe in his name – he has given the right to become God’s children  – children not born by human parents or by human desire or a husband’s decision, but by God.

Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory – the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father.

John 1:1-14, NET

Fairy-Tale Gospel

Due to the length of this essay, my Christmas gift to you, the actual post provides only the first section for you to taste-test.  Please click on the link below to access the PDF document if you would like to read or print the full piece.  May the Lord bless you at Christmas and always!

     Once upon a time – actually, even before time began – there was a King, a perfectly good and wise and just King.  This good King created a kingdom and brought order to its lands, providing trees yielding delicious fruit, rivers to water the fertile garden, and all manner of other delights.  To inhabit and rule over this small kingdom, He created a prince and princess and gave them freedom to enjoy the beautiful land He had prepared for them.  Only one limit did He place on their liberty, so that by honoring this law they could express their love and loyalty to Him as their King.  If they should disobey this one law, death would be the consequence.
    Alas, a usurper had arisen among the King’s servants in another part of His realm.  Knowing he could not destroy the King, he sought to destroy the kingdom.  Taking the disguise of a serpent, this traitor persuaded the prince and princess to doubt the goodness of their King.  They broke His one law and cast their allegiance with the adversary.  Grieved over their disloyalty, the King cast them out of the little kingdom He had prepared for them.
    Because He was a just King, He fulfilled His word and sentenced them to death, the penalty for traitors throughout the ages.  However, because He still loved them even in their rebellion, He allowed the death of an innocent substitute in their places.  Even better, He promised that one day a Deliverer would be born to a princess, and although this Deliverer himself would be wounded, he would crush, once and for all, the usurper who had tempted them.


Click here if you would like to read the rest of the story...

Gratitude 17: Advent

The Good News of Advent:

Jesus came~

“God With Us” born a baby in Bethlehem;

He comes~

“God With Us” now who have believed in His saving name;

He is coming~

“God With Us” in salvation of His own out of this present fallen world, and judgment of those who reject Him.

May He find us watching and ready!

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12).

Today I'm thanking the Father for (#2918-2933 of gratitude list)
~Jesus' coming and coming again
~singing Christmas carols
~the sacrifices of our nephew and the many, many others spending Christmas away from home because of military service
~Christmas card from one of our sponsored children
~Ebony's leg injury last week (while chasing a cat out of the garden) did not even require a vet visit
~blood pressure responding well to medication
~gifts under the tree
~gifts sent out to loved ones we cannot visit for this holiday
~opportunities to share the Lord's bountiful gifts to meet even a few small needs
~increasing strength to tolerate a bit more housework and driving
~good news from lupus labwork
~husband's help with errands and vacuuming
~gift of a cleaning helper who cared more last week about protecting me from her cold germs than receiving her fee for our house
~a plan in place to bring my grandmother to visit Christmas Eve, if the Lord wills
~hugs from my dad
~prayers with my mom