Re-Gifting...

As I was checking my gift list and what we still need to get to be ready for Christmas. I got out the

boxes of decorations... some bring back precious memories.  I love adding just a little something new every year to keep things fresh though.  After the ornaments have been hanging on the tree for a few weeks they get kind of dusty?  Or maybe that is just at my house?  I have an ongoing battle with dust… I hate to dust and I think dust purposely antagonizes me!!! 

While going about my tasks, my mind was drawn to Christ, Father’s Gift to us all.  The most precious gift ever! In so many ways, it has been a rough year for so many that I care about.  But my eyes keep turning back to that original Gift… no matter the circumstances of life the only thing that matters is our relationship with God... that started on that first Christmas morning.  Jesus Christ was born in a dusty stable, but from that very moment He started to change the world… He takes all the “dust” and grime of our lives and sweeps it all away never to be seen again, if we just turn to Him.

There are questions of why God lets things happen… some feeling like the bad circumstances are a punishment from God.  There are so many instances in the Bible of when bad things were happening to people and it was not as a punishment!  Look at Job for instance… what would we do if all our possessions were taken… we lost our job… our kids were killed???  I know for myself, I probably would ask God why He would allow such things… if He loves me so much how could He let me go through all this pain??? In fact I have asked that in the past. I spent years dealing with infertility... the heartache... the heartbreak... bitterness blinded my eyes to God's goodness... all I could see was how cruel my whole situation felt! It is crazy how off track emotional pain can take you! But these are the words that were a gift to bring me back to reality... God's reality... "Father God is not a cruel Father!" I wonder why no one ever said that to me in all those years? Such a simple statement, but a scale falling off my eyes moment!

But we do like to understand things… we like to try and fix things… we think we know more of what we need than God does… admit it, we have all been there.  I will admit it… I am impatient… I like to figure things out on my own… I want to live in comfort not pain!  But if everything was “peachy keen” all the time how would I ever grow?  And truthfully, what would I need God for?  God may not bring on any of the distress in our lives but He will allow it… ultimately to be used for His glory!

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

In Job 38 and 39, God and Job are having a “conversation.”  If you take the time to read it you will see that God was letting Job know that no matter what his circumstances were God was still in control!  God created all things… He should know how to keep things going and in order! Hmm… not so easy to remember sometimes.

Getting back to the gift part… if our Heavenly Father was willing to give up His only Son to restore His relationship with us… why would He ever do anything to cause us harm?  He sent Jesus to earth as a precious little baby but He wants us to let Him be so much bigger than we can ever imagine in our lives!  So I guess the question is… If Father was willing to give me and you such a precious Gift are we willing to trust Him no matter our circumstances?

“Blessed are the people who know how to praise you. They walk in the light of your presence, O Lord. They find joy in your name all day long. They are joyful in your righteousness because you are the glory of their strength. By your favor you give us victory.  Our shield belongs to the Lord.  Our king belongs to the Holy One of Israel.” Psalms 89:15-18 (GW)

So if you are going through some tough times right now... if life seems to be too hard to handle... if your eyes have been blinded to God's goodness... let me re-gift those same words to you... "Father God is not a cruel Father!"

Father, I thank You for Your goodness and the precious Gift of Your Son! I praise You for Your presence… that You will never leave us alone!  Lord, You are so faithful! I ask You to open the eyes of every person reading this to see Your goodness. All praise to You! In Jesus' name.

Rejoicing in Truth!

Carin

Gift of His Presence...

In preparation of Christmas I got out the boxes and boxes and boxes of decorations.  Some bring back precious memories, while others are just a passing fad.  I love adding just a little something new every year to keep things fresh though.  Did you ever notice that after the ornaments have been hanging on the tree for a few weeks they get kind of dusty?  Or is that just at my house?  I have an ongoing battle with dust… I hate to dust and I think dust purposely antagonizes me!!!

As I was checking my gift list and what we still need to get… my mind was drawn to Christ, Father’s Gift to us all.  The most precious gift ever! In so many ways, it has been a rough year for so many that I care about.  But my eyes keep turning back to that original Gift… no matter the circumstances of life the only thing that matters is our relationship with God... that started on that first Christmas morning.  Jesus Christ was born in a dusty stable, but from that very moment He started to change the world… He takes all the “dust” and grime of our lives and sweeps it all away never to be seen again, if we just turn to Him.

There have been many questions of why God lets things happen… some feeling like the bad circumstances are a punishment from God.  If you look in the Bible there are so many instances when bad things were happening to people and it was not as a punishment!  Look at Job for instance… what would we do if all our possessions were taken… we lost our job… our kids were killed???  I know for myself, I probably would ask God why He would allow such things… if He loves me so much how could He let me go through all this pain???

We like to understand things… we like to try and fix things… we think we know more of what we need than God does… admit it, we have all been there.  I will admit it… I am impatient… I like to figure things out on my own… I want to live in comfort not pain!  But if everything was “peachy keen” all the time how would I ever grow?  And truthfully, what would I need God for?  God may not bring on any of the distress in our lives but He will allow it… ultimately to be used for His glory!

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

In Job 38 and 39, God and Job are having a “conversation.”  If you take the time to read it you will see that God was letting Job know that no matter what his circumstances were God was still in control!  God created all things… He should know how to keep things going and in order! Hmm… not so easy to remember sometimes.

Getting back to the gift part… if our Heavenly Father was willing to give up His only Son to restore His relationship with us… why would He ever do anything to cause us harm?  He sent Jesus to earth as a precious little baby but He wants us to let Him be so much bigger than we can ever imagine in our lives!  So I guess the question is… If Father was willing to give me and you such a precious Gift are we willing to trust Him no matter our circumstances?

“Blessed are the people who know how to praise you. They walk in the light of your presence, O Lord. They find joy in your name all day long. They are joyful in your righteousness because you are the glory of their strength. By your favor you give us victory.  Our shield belongs to the Lord.  Our king belongs to the Holy One of Israel.” Psalms 89:15-18 (GW)

Father, I thank You for Your goodness and the precious Gift of Your Son! I praise You for Your presence… that You will never leave us alone!  Lord, You are so faithful! All praise to You!

Rejoicing in Truth!

Carin

Christmas Change... Time Well Spent!

I was reading (in)courage this morning… it was called, “When Your Christmas Season Includes Change.” Wow! Just what I am going through! During the times of change I can tend to look at it as bad (grievous) when I should actually looking at it as a time for grace. I have to admit that I grow the most during times of change… I allow myself to be drawn closer to God & live in His presence more! When I look at change like that it seems so much sweeter! It is not something being done to me, but something being done for me.

I have been upset that our Christmas was not going to be the way we traditionally do it. So my choice was either to be miserable over it or just give it my everything day by day… one day at a time! Christmas is going to come whether I have things the way I want it or not! Right?

The last year & a half we have spent a lot of time waiting, even more so in the last six months… moving along with baby-steps at times! I was reminded today about the anticipation of the first Christmas. Hundreds & hundreds of years before Christ was born, a prophecy was spoken about His coming (Isaiah 9). People lived their lives in anticipation of that day, but they never saw it happen in their lifetime! When He did come… what a change that day brought! He gave up His place in Heaven to come to this sinful world to rescue us! One precious little baby carried in the womb of one young virgin woman that brought the greatest change ever! Did Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, look at this change as something to grieve or did He only see this as an act of grace? When I think of change in this way it puts a whole new spin on things for me. 

I know everyone has something they are going through that is bringing change… unanswered questions, illness, financial stress, for me it is waiting to find the right house to call home again. One thing is for sure… in these uncomfortable times of change, God never changes. His promises ring true! Your God before this change is your same God after this change! And His presence is so much sweeter in unknown territory.

My hubby & I have spent a lot of time waiting over the last few months… waiting for an inevitable change. Two failed house purchases left me feeling deflated & ready to just stop looking for awhile… after all we were running out of houses that fit our criteria for the B&B.  I knew God would come through, because we knew His promises to us, but maybe this was not the right time. Luke was not feeling the same about stopping, so I asked him, “Is a house gonna drop from the sky?” A few minutes later he noticed he had voicemail… the voicemail was from a builder who had a house for sale by owner. Luke had inquired about this house the day before through a property for sale type website. We decided to do a “drive-by” to see what it looked like & where it was at. Of course we had to get out & peek in the windows & immediately I told Luke, “You have to call this man back!” The builder came & met us at the house within minutes.  As we walked through this unfinished house, I had a “jaw-dropping God is so amazing” moment or should I say moments!? It was absolutely crazy… God-crazy! Luke & I both knew we were home!

It was in that first walk-through of this house God made His vision for the B&B/retreat center so much clearer to both of us! I still am having a hard time grasping all the little details God “put” into this house to display His love to me! Please, don’t get me wrong… I know God’s greatest Gift of Love was His Son & that is more than enough, but I believe just like I love to do little things for the ones I love… He also shows His love in little ways too! Only His little ways are jaw-dropping!

BTW - When we put the offer on the first house, this new house was not even started to be built! We were to close on the second house on Monday & the new house was not even listed until Tuesday! This new house is built as a “spec” house, which means it is built just to sell… it has 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, & 10 acres of land! Like it was being built just for us & we believe it was! (wink)

A faith-builder during change... we see the impossible, but God sees all things possible!

Rejoicing in Truth!

The Perfect Gift in an Imperfect World...

Joy to the World… Peace on Earth Goodwill to Men… Jesus is the Reason for the Season… and on and on the sayings go.  Maybe Christmas is not feeling that way to you this year.  You might have had a very hard, trying time in 2011.  Joy is the last thing you are experiencing and as a follower of Christ you have His peace living in you, but the world is far from peaceful. 

Okay, you did not come here to Coffee Cup Corner to be depressed… I do have some good news to share with you!  You are not forgotten!  Even when you feel that God doesn’t seem to be paying much attention to you… He is.  The Greatest Gift of all times is the gift of Jesus Christ.  And the reality is… if our Heavenly Father never did anything for us again except giving us His Son, our Savior… that is still way more than we ever deserve… that is enough of a reason to praise Him forever, through the good and the not so good circumstances.

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  Isaiah 9:6

Why Christmas… why do we celebrate it the way we do… why should we want to partake in the festivities?  In my opinion, the glorious Christmas story is a reminder that our faith is not misplaced.  It’s a reminder, that when God seems to be silent He not necessarily still… when God is still it is not that He is uninterested… and even when we have convinced ourselves that He is uninterested it has nothing to do with His plan for the world or for you.  It reminds us that God can do anything He chooses to do.  And it is a reminder that God pays attention, is moved by and blessed by those who remain faithful.  But most of all Christmas is a reminder that your faith and your hope is not in vain.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”  I Corinthians 15:58

The challenge is… will you walk away from the norm… will you be that unique person that no matter the situation, you will choose to walk blamelessly in the eyes of God.  You may be having marital problems… will you say I believe in my vows and I will not just give up?  Or you may be in a work situation where you don’t seem to be moving upward… will you make the decision to still do your job with integrity?  When all is said and done, will you say, I want to know that to the best of my ability I am blameless before God in the way I am choosing to live my life, whether I see God do anything on my behalf or not.

I pray you have a blessed and joyful Christmas!

Rejoicing in Truth!

Can You Hear It?

Can you hear it?  Hear what? You might ask.  The sound of God speaking directly to you! 

With the Christmas season upon us I was thinking about the angel sharing the God-given message of the Messiah coming.  (Read Luke 1) Think about Mary getting a visit from the angel Gabriel with a message from God… he told her she was blessed and favored by God!  As that wasn’t enough… then he told her she was going to conceive a child, the Son of God! And what did Mary say to him?  She asked him how this could be since she was still a virgin.  Now comes the most awe inspiring point of this conversation, at least to me… Gabriel told Mary that the Holy Spirit would come on her and the power of the Highest would overshadow her! Conception by the Holy Spirit!!!  He also told her that her cousin, Elisabeth, was also pregnant… Elisabeth was past the age of conception, and at this point Gabriel shared that with God nothing is impossible.  After this whole amazing exchange between Gabriel and a young virgin girl… it almost goes without saying that nothing is impossible with God!

For with God nothing is impossible.  Luke 1:37

You may never have a physical visit from an angel, but you are still hearing from God just like Mary did.  Mary’s story is in our hands, God’s Word, for us to experience in written word, so for me it makes it so much more vivid.  But how would your life encounters with God read if it was written down???  I find when I read about the great experiences in the Bible, I am enthralled… but each one of us have God experiences everyday that we take a breath!  I am sure there are many reasons in your life that you would love to have a personal message from God.  You know what?  We all have that message… individually given to each one of us… His Word, right in our hands.  It is suited to each one of us, if we are just willing to open It and read It. 

God has sent you a message… a Message that will change your eternal life.  His Message of hope, renewal, and forgiveness through His Son.  Will you hear and receive His Message?

I pray your heart will receive His Message new every day, and that your eyes will be opened to His continued presence in this world.

Rejoicing in Truth!