Those Christmas Women

Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, Elizabeth, Mary and Anna..

2 Prostitutes
1 Adulterer
4 Widows
3 Pregnant with children not their husbands
3 Gentiles
2 Barren
2 lost their first born to violent deaths
1 lost their baby because of their sin
2 mothers of Kings
1 mother of the King of Kings

What an amazing group of women listed and named in the story of Jesus' birth. I will be wondering with you, the significance of these women and what we can learn from their stories.

Tamar...Tenacity for Justice
Rahab... Survival in Chaos
Ruth..Loyalty in Suffering
Bathsheba...Beauty in Ashes
Elizabeth...Honor in Humility
Mary...Ferocity for Righteousness
Anna...Worship in Waiting

Advent/Christmas

I will start my yearly musings on this most emotive of holidays. I hope you enjoy and share with friends if you are so inspired. I will begin on Sunday...

the enemies chew toy

#1. Put on as if it is clothes, humility.
#2. God opposes pride..anywhere.
#3. Place yourself under God's mighty hand
#4. He will honor you at the right time.
#5. Roll your worries over to him/He cares for you.
#6. Control yourself
#7 Be on your guard
#8. The enemy prowls, roars and looks to chew up and swallow.
#9. You can stand against him.

1 Peter 5

A prayer

Your word is a light to my path, and since I have placed myself under your hand…I have been assuming you would feel the need to use me because of my amazingness. Forgive my arrogance and my pride, for who am I but clay in your hand. Who am I to tell the potter, when and where you should use me. You are the one who honors me by using me…if I am not being used in my perceived areas of strength; it is because I am full of pride. Not only are you not using me, you will oppose me. I have not clothed myself in humility and I seek your forgiveness again this morning. I have been chewed on, it is interesting that pride and the enemy's chews are not far apart from each other.  Pride is the enemies chew toy. I like that …. I can beat myself about this…I think you would rather me just humble myself and get on with it.

Amen

beautiful bits...

 I am being chiseled down to the beautiful bits.  http://karavanderbijl.com/

If you have not read my Niece's blog, you need too. She writes so well and today, she said this and it struck me. This is what is happening to me...I am being chiseled down, but I am hoping they are beautiful bits.  My Dad turns 83 today, what a beautiful man in all his beautiful bits.  See, maybe we don't become whole and balanced as we age but the things that seemed to matter so when we were younger are chiseled away and we sparkle in our bits. I would like to think there are things in which I sparkle...I think it is in the things most unselfish that I do.

Wise Woman...Foolish Woman

Wise woman builds her house. But a foolish woman tears hers down with her own hands Prov. 14:1

It has been awhile since I have posted and lots has happened in the world since the last time. We still have the same president...and some  men in power seem to have an inability to be faithful.  What I am thinking about though, is the foolish women, the ones who tore down their homes with their own hands.  It seems these women  get a pass when it comes to infidelity in high places. No jobs seem to be lost or ugly photos seem to be shown.  They only  know who fired the first shot across the cheating deck but neither said a simple no.
I am musing about this because I wonder what foolishness  we women do in our own homes that tear down protective walls but don't go as far as unfaithfulness. What do we do that builds...what do we do that tears down/busts.

Loving our husbands and protecting our marriage = builders
Watching our tongues=builders
Holding sacred our marriage bed by not reading what others seem to do better =builders
Not controlling by moods, anger, pettiness, insecurities =builders
Trusting God = builders
Loving but not idolizing our roles as mothers =builders
Confronting and being a peacemaker =builders
Making a home = builders


Self-centered whining = busters
Comparing anything =busters
Holding tight to rigid rules of expected behavior =busters
Unrealistic expectations for what  he should do, what I can do =busters
Letting ourselves go = busters
Holding sacred the idea of control by worrying = busters


This verse seems to say that we hold a lot in our hands...we builders and destroyers of homes.

PS. Goodness knows that men have their equal  share...but then I am not a man and cannot speak to that.

This man

I traveled to Southern California to go to a symposium for my job. What an excellent time of learning and reshaping my ideas on how to help the students and the host parents in their separate but similar journeys.  The fly in this ointment was that I traveled by plane and for me, that is my specific and annoying fear. I can do, snakes, heights, tight places and overcrowded elevators...but flying...I become stupid. This man knows me well, took a week off of work and accompanied me to this symposium just so I had a rock in the storm of my fear. I am ashamed and frustrated that this is my reality and for the life of me have to figure this out but I am so thankful for his man who does not seem to be afraid of anything...well, maybe spiders but he kills them.
The flights were calm, uneventful but you would never know this by looking at me. On one portion, landing in Portland the weather channel told me we were going to fly right into storms. A half hour before landing, I was gripping Scott's legs and doing my breathing exercises. There was no turbulence at the time, I was just preparing.
 How sad is that...because the reality was that it was really the smoothest landing of all the landings...and there were 6 of them.
I think I live in a lot anticipatory anxiety. Wait...isn't that what worry is...an anticipation of what may happen but usually does not. We are preparing for turbulence when it is smooth sailing...as if my death grip on Scott's leg would alleviate the fear or even the turbulence.
We are not to worry...fear not fear not fear not fear not fear not....
Now when the reality of the storm is at hand...ie: Sandy, accident, bad news....we can in reality do things to make a difference when it is real not imagined.
 It all comes...we should enjoy the ride when its turbulence free...bumpy comes.

Useless purpose

Remember how short my life is. You have created all people for such a useless purpose. Psalm 89:47

We are like the grass of the field, here today and gone tomorrow...

Are you discouraged yet?  I can imagine the verse from Psalm 89 isn't used for many sermons or picture captions. I am sure if this verse was someones favorite life verse we would wonder at the mental health of this tortured soul.  This Psalm is a strange one, it is so full of the power of God, His faithfulness, His strenght, His goodness, His Might, His Rightness and near the end...it seems that Ethan the Ezrahite. after extolling the wonders of God and virtues of David looks at his own life and wonders quickly...who am I anyway?  I love that about scripture...it speaks what not only is true about God, but what is true about us. I can't be the only one who has wondered in the grand scheme of life how short it is...and how useless it seems.  What is amazing about these 10 words is that the blame for it all is on God. You have created all people for such a useless purpose..You, mighty God.  Not some, all people...all of us are created for such a useless purpose. I wonder what Ethan was thinking that one purpose was. 

I am going to chew on this verse for awhile...not because it is encouraging but maybe because it seems to be spot on in the babble of all the wonders of who we think we are or have been told we are.  A cold shower of reality...I wonder what joy God gets from these broken vessels that try so hard to carry around any bits of glory.
 It seems He does....I just wonder why when the truth is from our viewpoint is that we are useless.  Our view, though, isn't always the one that matters.