What will your word be?

For the past couple of years, I have prayed about a "word" for that year. Some of you have probably heard of this. There's even a site devoted to it called My One Word (My One Word).

The first year I did this, my word was "Hope." Little did I know that by the end of the year, that was about all I'd have to hold on to. During that year, the company that my husband worked for unexpectedly closed it's doors leaving over 300 people without a job in a town that doesn't boast a huge number of jobs to begin with. We were blessed that I still had a job teaching, but the next few months truly stretched our ability to hope and hold on. When he finally found another job, it was one that provided a much smaller paycheck and much harder work week. The challenge of holding on to hope became a DAILY choice to believe.

Last year, my word for the year was "Anticipation." This really goes back to something I felt like the Lord spoke to my heart three years ago. It was a sense of foreboding that things were about to get bad...really bad, but that in 2012 we would see things turn around - miraculously! I make no claim at being a prophet, but when God lays something on your heart like this, you know it! I decided to just hide this word in my heart and watch. I guess I don't have to tell anyone that the past three years have been tough...but there is change in the wind. It is coming - can you feel it? Anticipation is growing!

Anyway, back to this year's word. I was on a run the other day and, as I often do while running, I was praying. (Okay, so sometimes I'm just praying I can continue to breathe and for strength to move the next step, but I'm usually praying!) This time, I was asking for my "word" for the year and the word "INCREDIBLE" kept coming to mind. Okay - this isn't one I'd have chosen, but it sounded interesting. I came home and looked it up.
Incredible: so extraordinary as to seem impossible
Okay, so far I'm liking this word for the new year.

Then a couple of days ago, I was reading a devotional by another blogger and another word almost jumped out at me - "MERCY". Now the feeling this word gave me is hard to explain. It was heavy - not a bad kind of heavy - an overwhelming kind of heavy...the kind that makes you want to go to your knees and bow your head under the weight. It was a worshipful kind of heavy.

Mercy: This one has a LOT of meaning.
1. compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence
2. the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment, especially to send to prison rather than invoke the death penalty.
3. an act of kindness, compassion or favor
4. something that gives evidence of divine favor or blessing
It doesn't take a prophet or even someone very smart to realize that as a country we are in need of God's mercy...how much I am in need of His mercy. 


The more I thought about it, the more I realized that somehow the two words were to be coupled together: INCREDIBLE MERCY. These are my "words" for 2012. Could this be the year when we see God pour out His incredible mercy and save us from a destruction we have brought on ourselves? I guess time will tell, but until then I will hold on to these two words knowing that whatever the year may bring, His INCREDIBLE MERCY is far greater than what I deserve.

What will your word(s) for this year be? Please take a moment to share them with me! You'll be surprised when you look back at how accurate that word has been!

Psalm 25:5-7

New International Version (NIV)

⁵ Guide me in your truth and teach me,
   for you are God my Savior,
   and my hope is in you all day long. ⁶ Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love,
   for they are from of old. ⁷ Do not remember the sins of my youth
   and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
   for you, LORD, are good.

Proverbs 28:12-14

New International Version (NIV)

 ¹² When the righteous triumph, there is great elation;
   but when the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding.
 ¹³ Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper,
   but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
 ¹⁴ Blessed is the one who always trembles before God,
   but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble.

Micah 6:8

New International Version (NIV)

⁸ He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
   And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
   and to walk humbly with your God.

Luke 1:49-51

New International Version (NIV)

⁴⁹ for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
   holy is his name. ⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him,
   from generation to generation. ⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
   he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

May I recommend...

I just finished reading, The Surrender of Ethan Moses, by Terry Goetz, and I am recommending this book to almost everyone I see! It is about the life of a man who works daily to find God's will and surrender to that will. (I really don't do justice to the story...I'm sure you can read a tag line about it on Amazon.com or this link will take you to a review of the book by a friend of the author: (Review)

After reading this book, (which I finished in only two sittings - I didn't want to put it down), I look at my "wanderings" in a new way. Things that happen now don't seem so happenstance; they are another step on this wonderful journey our Father has prepared for us.

This morning as I thought about the story, it brought to mind being on a wonderful hike with God. This is a path in which our Father has already traveled and He delights in watching us discover what He has already known since the beginning of time. The thought of this truly is stirring inside me and I wish I could communicate it more clearly.

I know I've taken hikes with my children along familiar paths and it is such a joy to watch them discover rocks and plants and the sunset (we rarely make it out for sunrise) or just all that surrounds them. It may be a path I've traveled many times before, but when I take them with me it is filled with a new joy at watching them see what lies before them. Once I "hid" treasures for them to find and I still laugh at their surprise as they discovered what was prepared for them!

I have traveled these paths many times before...they are like second nature to me. I know the places that are easy, and I also know the places along the path that can be more difficult - rocks that slip underneath your feet or places you just have to watch your step. I doubt my children noticed that along those places I had my hand right behind their back, ready to catch them if they fell.

If I, being human and filled with flaws, can take my children along a familiar path safely...how much more can our Heavenly Father lead us along the path He has CREATED for us?

Wow...what an amazing thought, and all before I've had my second cup of coffee!

May your journey today be filled with wonder - and as soon as you can, I definitely recommend reading, The Surrender of Ethan Moses....it's one of those books you'll find yourself thinking about a LOT as you travel along.
Matthew 7:11

New International Version (NIV)

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Ephesians 2:10

The Message (MSG)

 ^7-10Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

I really didn't expect that...

Have you ever had one of those moments that catch you so off guard your reaction is a total surprise...even to you? Today I had one of those surprising moments.

Today I needed to go to the store to exchange something and on the way there, I saw an old man sitting on the corner with a cardboard sign that said,  "Anything helps." Immediately my mind went to the five dollar bill in my purse. (The fact that I actually had any cash at all is rare...two teenagers usually take care of that! Having any money after Christmas is even more of a rarity! ) I pulled into the parking lot and went on into the store with my son, but I knew what I needed to do. 


While I stood in line to make the exchange, I pulled out the five dollars. Of course there was an argument going on inside my head, but this time I knew the decision was already made. I felt like I had heard God whisper in my ear to give that $5. (Now, for some people five dollars is no big deal, but what can I say - I count every penny!)


We came out of the store and I didn't see him anymore. At first, I argued in my head..."See God, I was willing, but he's gone." Still, I held the money in my hand, we got into the car and pulled out of the parking lot...then I spotted him. I told my son to roll down the window. As we pulled up beside the old gentleman, he slowly rose to take the money and I looked into the most beautiful crystal blue eyes peering out from behind the scraggly grey hair. The wrinkles that lined those eyes told of years beyond even what I'd first imagined. 


We handed him the money and said, "God bless you" and then pulled away as he walked up to the car behind us that had also stopped to give him something. I shifted my gaze back to the road before us and choked out the words, "Can you imagine being that old and having no home?" That's when the tears started to fill my eyes. My son asked me, "Are you crying?" Yes, and no one was more surprised than me.


I am not a crier....oh, I may tear up at coffee commercials, but usually I stay pretty tear free. Not today...today I felt like I could become a regular tear fountain. Where did this come from? I've been praying that God would show Himself real to me this year...is this how it starts? Am I in for a year of waterworks? Is this the beginning of something new?


I never expected that from a five dollar bill.


Matthew 25:40

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Christmas thoughts in red and green

Today marks the end of my "Journey to Advent/Christmas" and the blog that follows surprised even me...and I'm getting pretty used to the random direction my thoughts seem take.


As I looked around today at church, I noticed all the beautiful red dresses and ties and I started to wonder - why are red and green the colors of Christmas? 


Red and green separately mean many things - not all of them positive! In different countries, red means a lot of different things...it can mean anger, joy, health, love, and passion. It can even mean danger and warning. Being green isn't something just for Kermit the frog anymore. It means being environmentally conscious, but it can also mean feeling jealous or sick...and of course there's always money and jello (isn't jello always green?)


It is believed by some that red and green are simply the colors that were used in pagan celebrations long ago and adopted as a part of the Christian celebration of Christmas. Perhaps this is true, but since I don't think things like this really happen by accident, I think there must be something more.


It doesn't take a lot of thought really to realize that red is the color of blood and green is the color of life. (Which makes me wonder why it took me so many years to realize just how significant these colors are at Christmas!) We use trees that are "evergreen" just as Christ came to give us life "everlasting" when He came over 2000 years ago. Why haven't I ever thought about this before? I know this is not some deep new revelation, but sometimes the simplest answers are the most difficult for us to see.


The colors of Christmas are red and green because at Christmas, Christ came as a sacrifice to shed His blood and make a way for us to live eternally with our Father in heaven. Red = love + sacrifice -> green = newness of life + everlasting. Simple.


Separately they may mean many things, but together these colors make Christmas mean so much more...and now I think I understand why.

Hebrews 9:22
In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

1 John 2:25  And this is the promise that He has promised us, even eternal life. 

Hallelujah, He is born

This video clip just makes me happy so I decided to share.


From my house to yours....
Merry Christmas and it's gonna be an incredible 
New Year!

All I want for Christmas...

It is now less than 48 hours from Christmas, and I really expected that by now I'd be in the Christmas Spirit. I finally got a chance to go off by myself to do some shopping yesterday and while we are just about ready - I'm not....ready for Christmas, I mean.

The tree is up - has been since the week of Thanksgiving. Lights are up outside - I will admit that day felt a bit excitement for Christmas coming. The house is somewhat decorated...it was clean but that is such a temporary state it changes in seconds. So how come I still don't feel like it's Christmas?

I could blame it on our weather in the South. Yesterday it was borderline hot with a storm rolling in that reminded me of hurricane season. Today is a bit colder; but as always, the primary color outside is simply brown. Boring, dull, brown. In other words, it doesn't feel like Christmas. Not that I want snow. Down here, if we get snow it brings everything to a screeching halt and it doesn't last long enough to really do anything other than make a mess. Still, all of that can't be blamed for my lack of enthusiasm for Christmas.

To be very honest, I'm looking forward to the New Year a lot more than I am to Christmas. The New Year means a chance to start over and get it right this time...or at least closer to "right". The New Year offers hope of the past year being over (thank HEAVENS!) and getting a brand new year to start fresh. I love getting a new calendar and looking at the days that are printed there, imagining that this year will be the one that is better...this year I will finally get it right...this year my dreams will come true. Christmas just means a reminder of how much I messed up the year I was given. I didn't save enough money, didn't finally get things organized, didn't spend the time with my family I'd hoped to...didn't, didn't, didn't.

When did Christmas become this for me? I'm not sure because, to be honest, if anything marks a chance for a new beginning, it's Christmas!

On that very first Christmas, God sent His Son to give us a second chance. He had given us all that could be hoped for, and it had been thrown away with a lie that there was more to be had. Oh, there was more - more pain, more frustration, more death. Now He sent His Son to give us life abundantly. He gave His Son so that we could have a brand new start.

So saying all that, I've finally decided what I really want for Christmas. I want a calendar - one that reminds me that it's not the new year that brings hope and new beginnings. It is a small baby in a manger who came from heaven to make a way for me to follow. Christmas isn't so much about gifts from the mall, (or the kitchen for all you who have been blessed with homemaking skills); it's about the gift that came to set me free. It's not about the lights on the house, (which look pretty cool, I must say); it's about the light in the heavens that guided the wise men to a place of hope. It's not about the food I prepare, (thank heavens! I'm a lousy cook!); it's about the feast He has prepared for my soul. It's not about the songs or the movies or even snow.... Christmas is about a new beginning. Behold, the old has gone, the new has come.

Merry Christmas dear friends...I think I've already gotten what I really wanted this year.

2 Corinthians 5:17

New International Version (NIV)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Isaiah 43:19

New International Version (NIV)

See, I am doing a new thing!
   Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
   and streams in the wasteland.

Revelation 21:1-5

New International Version (NIV)

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ² I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

 ⁵ He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

No clue what to give...

I think it just hit me why I'm NOT looking forward to the holiday - I'm not ready! I haven't gotten even one gift yet. Christmas is less than a week away and I've gotten nothing! Well, that's not completely true. I did get one gift for my daughter. I was in the store and it hit me...I got her - oh no... I'm not telling. This might be the one time she actually reads my blog! Let's just say, I can't wait to see her unwrap it and hear her laugh when she realizes what it is. It's not a big gift, but it's one that I know will bring a smile to that sweet face.

Smiles at Christmas are what we all hope for. I talked with a friend today and she is so excited about Christmas this year. She just figured out what to get for her husband and she's practically giddy with joy! She's planning just how to wrap the gift, and you can tell she's anticipating her husband's face when he opens the gift.

That's the difference, isn't it. When you have a gift for someone you love, and you know it's something special that will make their face light up with joy, you just can hardly wait for Christmas....but now that my kids are older, there simply aren't that many surprises - or smiles. Oh, my daughter would LOVE a car, but the budget just won't allow that - not even an old one. Instead, she's asked for cash so she can go shopping. Easy - but not very exciting. My son - he wants some games. Again, easy - but not too exciting. My husband...I have no clue. We probably would both be happy with a nap. See - nothing to get excited and really smile about.

I would love to see that look of absolute joy that we used to get from the kids when they were little. I watch videos of them playing with the bag the toy came in and being completely enthralled. Now it takes a lot more to get them to even crack a smile.

There have been years when the only thing I really wanted was that smile. I worked so hard to surprise and then would watch their faces to show that they knew how special the gift was. Sometimes I got it - sometimes not. They've gotten a lot tougher to buy for now that they are older. They just don't seem to notice.

That got me to thinking about how long God planned our gift on that first Christmas...He'd planned it from the beginning of time. This was no ordinary gift...God gave His treasure - His Son. I wonder if He watched the face of the shepherds and saw that joy? Did He look at the wise men bringing gifts and smile to Himself? Did He watch so many others that just went on their way, not even realizing a gift had been given? What about me? God prepared this gift for ME from the beginning of time...He anticipated giving to me and watching me receive. What does He see from me?

Perhaps the joy of Christmas that I've been missing is due to not knowing what to give...and in not realizing what I have been given. There is no doubt that Christmas is a time of giving. I just have no clue what to give...and I'm beginning to think I don't realize what I have received.

John 3:16-17

The Message (MSG)

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.