Why We Need Christmas

As the month of December approached this year (with what seems like the quickest pace I have ever seen) I became more and more excited about Christmas. I really do love Christmas time and all the joy and fun it brings for my family and I. But in the height of my Christmas spirit, tragedy struck. A family member died and was buried this past Monday, and I received the news of a very sudden death in our church family. My heart is heavy with sympathy and pain for each family. They now have to face Christmas day engulfed in sorrow and the shock of loss. Words tend to fail me in times like this. When I can't even fathom what is happening in someone's heart. But I began to read some of the Psalms of David. King David was a man who truly faced it all, in my opinion. He had been on top of the world, to the festering,stagnant ponds of the very bottom of the Earth (metaphorically). Here are some of the verses I came across:
"I love you, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and
my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom
I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn
of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to
the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am
saved from my enemies. The cords of death
entangled me; the torrents of destruction
overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled
around me; the snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried
to my God for help. From his temple he heard my
voice; my cry came before him, into his ears."
Psalm 18:1-6

"He reached down from on high and took hold of
me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from
my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong
for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into
a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted
in me." 16-19

From David's words, I conclude that darkness and despair are nothing new. Since the fall, mankind has had to endure trials and suffering. There are some moments in life that are so dark they take our breath and stop us in our tracks. The darkness engulfs us with it's suffocating density and it makes us blind with fear. God understood the pain we would encounter, and out of love for us he gives us the greatest gift of all: The Light of The World, and the hope he brings. You see, God knew we needed Christmas. We were broken and blind, and we desperately needed rescue. He sent an ever-present light into our darkness.

"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." John 12:46

Christmas time reminds me of the hope I have in Him. No matter how dark things get in life, He will be there to bring us through. He gives us courage, strength, and peace in our times of trouble, and he brings us hope for a better day, a new beginning. In life there will always be times of darkness and pain, but our hope is in the ever-present flame that perseveres, reminding us that in Him, we too can persevere and overcome the darkness in our lives with the light burning within us.

Merry Christmas

The Most Beautiful Thing In All The World

There is one quality that I want to possess more than anything else. I want to be real. I want honesty to seep from my pores. I want to walk and talk in absolute truth. So I'm going to be really honest for a minute and tell you that I am a total liar. I'm not saying I tell many "bold face lies", but I am dishonest in that I conceal a lot of things about myself. For instance, sometimes I really hate admitting I am a Christian. In certain company, I rarely talk about it or bring it up. Why? I am ashamed. I'm not ashamed of believing in God, and this isn't one of those "deny me and you will burn in hell, so re-post this as your status" type thing. I am ashamed of the way I behave. My mouth does not coincide with my body most of the time. I can be rude and jealous. I have a quick temper and an even quicker response rate, which usually gets me into lots of trouble. I have a sharp tongue and I use it against people I know and love. I can swear like a sailor when the mood strikes. I can be very selfish and judgmental. I'm not saying all this to be down on myself or have a pity party. I just want to be honest about the perplexing paradox that is me. I am a Christian, but I do not have it all figured out. Not even a little bit. I want that to be crystal clear, because my biggest fear is deterring someone away from Jesus because my actions are not lining up with my words. I fall to pieces when I hear the words "Oh, I thought she was a good Christian, guess not." I never want to be that girl. So sometimes it is easier for me to pretend that I don't have a relationship with a 2,000 year old man who died for me and rose again. But, again, that makes me a liar, and like I said, I want to be truthful. So here is my monumental dose of truth for the day- I deserve nothing, but I have been given everything. Jesus sees the dark recesses of my heart. He knows every fault and every flaw. I know I'm far from perfect, but I really do believe that Jesus died for me, and I do believe he talks to me, and uses me to reach others. I have a lot of short-comings, but I have a good heart and I want to do better, and that is what God is concerned with. I could never, ever, earn His mercy on my own merit, thankfully he gives it freely with out reservation. I think grace is the most beautiful thing in all the world. I am completely imperfect, but loved perfectly. How sweet is that? So, my point is, I am going to try and be completely honest and reconcile the two parts of my being that I have been fighting so hard to separate. If my actions or words have offended you or deterred you, I am deeply and truly sorry. Please forgive me. I am trying to reflect His hope, love, and grace, but I have a long way to go. Please bear with me as I am ever the work in progress.

Titus 2 Women

I was browsing through my Bible Promise Book today and I found this verse:

"Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks, but models of goodness. By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives. We don't want anyone looking down on God's Message because of their behavior." Titus 2:3-5 (The Message)


I started thinking about all the Titus 2 women in my life that are helping me become a good wife and mother. I am so thankful for each one of them. Each week, I have the privilege of meeting with a few of them and exercising. This has been a great experience for me, and not only am I getting healthy physically, I am getting healthy spiritually via their advice and counsel. I am also honored with a place in a diverse group of women that all used to be a part of FCC. Recently, when a tragedy struck in the life among one of us, we all came together and rallied around our friend. It was a beautiful and moving reflection of Godly love. Through all of this, I am learning, growing, and taking in all I can from these wonderful women. It is my greatest hope that one day I will be a strong, loving, wise, Titus 2 woman too.