The journey feels long....

To be very honest, I just don't feel like writing today on this Journey to Advent. Like many, I am just plain tired. But when you're on a journey, you may pause and rest, but you can't just stop! (Yes, I did watch the Biggest Loser marathon tonight...) So here we go...one foot in front of the other.


Some of the following is from an article by Dan S. Baty called "Love Supreme" from Discipleship Journal, 2003. It was this article that prompted my previous two blogs, and it is based on the scriptures 1 John 4:8 - God is love, and 1 Cor. 13: 4-8. Enjoy!


"God does not envy or boast. 
Envy and boasting are first cousins - and strangers to love. Envy seeks to tear down others, while boasting seeks to inflate self. Both are rooted in insecurity. God's love has no such insecurities....Not only does God graciously enable me to succeed in word or deed, He assures me time and again that He 'delights in the well-being of his servant' (Ps. 35:27)." Dan Baty


God is not proud.
God has nothing to prove. He is God...yet He chose to come as a servant. It takes a lot of confidence to be truly humble. Think about those you know who do the most bragging - pretty insecure, aren't they. Just let things not go their way and you'll see them start placing blame on whoever they can find. But those who are truly confident aren't afraid to serve and enable others to succeed. In fact, nothing makes them happier than to shine the spotlight on others. I am so thankful that God ever entrusts His work into my clumsy hands. Wow.


God is not rude.
"God does not force Himself on us....Though He possesses absolute truth, He does not use absolute force to make us receive it. Instead, He knocks and waits for ready hearts to open the door (Rev. 3:20)" Dan Baty


God is not self-seeking.
"The Son of Man came [for our benefit, not His] to seek and to save what was lost." (Luke 19:10) He gave knowing that some would not return His love...and yet He gave it anyway.


God is not easily angered and keeps no record of wrongs.
I've often said, if I were God I would have zapped us all by now! I am so thankful that God is not easily angered and in mercy gives us chance after chance. 
Psalms 103:8 - 18 
"God is sheer mercy and grace; 
      not easily angered, he's rich in love. 
   He doesn't endlessly nag and scold, 
      nor hold grudges forever. 
   He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve, 
      nor pay us back in full for our wrongs. 
   As high as heaven is over the earth, 
      so strong is his love to those who fear him. 
   And as far as sunrise is from sunset, 
      he has separated us from our sins. 
   As parents feel for their children, 
      God feels for those who fear him. 
   He knows us inside and out, 
      keeps in mind that we're made of mud."

God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 
"God loves it when we see the world through His eyes, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us through that lifelong process. (Jn. 16:13)" Dan Baty


God always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres.
It is amazing that as many times as I've messed up, God still entrusts me with His Good News. Sometimes I wish He didn't trust me so much.....I feel like Peter. Still, knowing that Peter would deny Him, Jesus did not stop loving Peter - or believing in him! "When you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." I really can't count how many times I've failed and yet God always gives me another chance. He celebrates my successes and heals my failures. 


God's love never fails...And that's as far as I can travel today on this Journey to Advent. Goodnight!

Don't forget the kindness

Today as I continue on my Journey to Advent, I find myself knowing that Christmas is getting closer and closer and I am still no closer to being ready. The thought of shopping for that perfect gift has me completely overwhelmed, and not in a good way. As one friend put it, lack of time and money to make it happen is just stressing me out. I can almost see you out there nodding in agreement. Simply buying the groceries for the special meals of the season is breaking the budget!

Yet in the midst of all this chaos, I still find myself confronted by moments of God's presence....by His kindness. It's not always huge things, but it always comes at just the right time. It might be a cup of coffee from a friend, or even something as simple as a smile when a stranger holds the door open for you. It's those moments when your children actually show they care about each other instead of bickering over who gets to sit by the window. One of my personal favorites is that look that someone gets when you come into the room and it is evident they are truly glad just to see you. Those small acts of kindness are just enough to keep me going. That's what today's blog is really about...kindness.

If you happened to read yesterday's blog, you know that God is love (1 John 4:8).  That means, according to 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, that He is kind. But what does that mean? How will I know it when those moments of kindness come? How will I know it when I see Him?

Since in my class I am currently teaching my students about characterization, I decided to ask them to describe the character trait of kindness. I was quite surprised by the insight of this group of 12 and 13 year olds. In essence, they wrote this blog, and this is what they had to say.

Kindness means the person will always be there for you. 
They say words that give you courage. 
Kindness comes from the heart. 
They stand up for you. 
They love you for who you are and don't try to change you. 
Everything good they do comes from the heart. They genuinely care for you. 
The words that come out of their mouth are always caring. 
They are always thinking on the positive side. 
They will truly be your friend. 
A kind person always smiles at you and isn't selfish. 
They understand that no one is perfect and don't criticize you because you're not. 
To be kind is to forgive someone no matter what. 
To be kind is to never give up on someone. 
To be kind is to do something nice with no reward. 
It means you believe not only in yourself, but you also believe in others. 
A kind person thinks of others and would give their life for them. 
And finally, one student wrote this: Mercy and forgiveness. Greater love hath no man than this, for a man give up his life for another. 

Wow....They pretty well nailed it. God is all this and more!

Is it possible that in the middle of all the crazy hustle and bustle of Christmas, I've missed the kindness? In the struggle to get just the right gift, have I forgotten that I am to show the character of Christ to those around me? (A couple of quick video clips of people fighting over waffle makers and video games pretty much lets me know that a lot of people have forgotten the "kindness" part! I'm pretty sure pepper spraying your fellow shoppers isn't exactly the kindest action either!) And if I've forgotten the kindness, does that mean I've forgotten God?

Just for today, I want to see some kindness...I want to show some kindness. In the whirlwind of activities and responsibilities and expectations, I don't want to forget the kindness....I don't want to forget God.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

New International Version (NIV)

 ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
 ⁸ Love never fails. 


Psalm 106:7
When our ancestors were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.


Isaiah 63:7
[ Praise and Prayer ] I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us— yes, the many good things he has done for Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses.


Jeremiah 31:3
The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

Titus 3:3-5

New International Version (NIV)

 ³ At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. ⁴ But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

God is love...means more than I thought.

The first week of Advent seemed to be filled with getting rid of the garbage that so easily piles up in my heart. Everyday it seemed that I was dealing with learning to see my need for a Savior more and more.
This week has already taken an amazing turn - it seems that everywhere I look I am overwhelmed by the love of God. A friend posted on my last post and said the word that it brought to mind was "Tenderness" - and that's exactly what I am seeing. The tenderness of our loving Father and I am overwhelmed.

On facebook someone shared a youtube link of Christopher Duffley singing "Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord" and I sit in tears. Today I am overwhelmed by the love of God for each of us....for me.

As I thought about "love", I remembered a sweet little old lady we used to go to church with, Mrs. Katie. Mrs. Katie was a hoot; we never knew what she was going to say. Of course, in our youthful stupidity, we often didn't realize just how wise this tiny little lady was. She'd say things like, "I just realized something - God is love. Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm." We'd just stand there politely and smile. I'm pretty sure inside I was thinking something like "Duh!" I did mention I was a lot younger then - and I thought I was a whole lot smarter than I was. In fact, the older, I get the stupider I realize I truly am, but again - that's a blog for another day.

Three simple words - "God is love." Today I think I started to realize just how smart Mrs. Katie was.

While waiting for everyone to get ready for church this morning I happened to pick up an old copy of Discipleship Journal. I was already thinking about the Journey to Advent and the turn it had taken. (I really like this stretch of road a whole lot better by the way!) Anyway, back to the Discipleship Journal. The first article I turned to was by Dan S. Baty called "Love Supreme," an article about God's love. What really caught my eye was the scripture reference he used, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. I have heard that verse a thousand times focusing on how we are to love others, but if God is love (1 John 4:8) then this passage is a description of God!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

New International Version (NIV)

 ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.⁸ Love never fails....

I know there is no way I can cover that entire passage in one blog, so it may be that it shows up throughout this week. For today, I'll focus on just the first part: "Love is patient." I don't know about you, but I sure am glad God is patient with me. I've said before, I'm glad I'm not God because if I were, I'd have probably zapped everyone by now...bet you're glad I'm not God, too!


God is patient, giving us chance after chance...telling us over and over again. I still remember a pastor saying to me, "God not only knows the last thing He told you, He knows the last thing you understood." The Bible puts it this way:

2 Peter 3:9

New International Version (NIV)

⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance

When I think of this passage, I remember a book I read a few years back called The Shack. Now, I'm not into debating the theology of this book - I'm not nearly smart enough for that. There is one part, however, that really stuck with me. The following is a review I found online and it explains the passage far better than I could. The full review can be found at http://theshackreview.wordpress.com/ and it's by Rachel Musgrove. (Link to full review)

"Jesus directs Mack to a cave like entrance, which Mack unsteadily enters into. He comes to a chair sitting in the middle of an open space which he sits in, waiting for something to happen. As he did this, a beautiful Latina woman appears.

She begins a barrage of questioning that intentionally lead Mack down a path of his judgment. She asks him of repentance and then informs him that he will be the judge of God and the human race. She peels back the layers of Mack with a brutal honesty until Mack finally confesses that He’s angry at God.

The questioning goes on until the woman asks Mack to choose 3 of his children to go to hell and the other 2 to go to heaven. He screams at the woman that he can’t, he won’t make that choice. He offers himself in their place. The woman smiles and says, “Now you sound like Jesus.”

God is love....Love is patient. In the words of Mrs. Katie, "Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm."