Women of Advent ~ Part 1 Elizabeth

Women of Advent ~ Elizabeth

After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.  ‘The Lord has done this for me’, she said.  ‘In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.’  Luke 1: 24-25

As a child, the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas seemed to slow to an unbearable, near slow-motion tick.  Every morning was filled with anticipation for THE morning.  Daily festivities designed to keep our attention diverted from the “count down calendar” (referred to by serious grown-ups as Advent), helped.  A little.

There were parties and pageantry, neighborhood lightings and trimming of trees, season’s greetings from far-away family and friends, and probably best of all, music.  Between Perry Como and Amy Grant, I sang my way through many Decembers.

 But ever looming was the awareness that the pinnacle of the year, the day that made all 364 other days pale in their attempt at glory, was Christmas Day.  Because on that day, children believe that something magnificent lies wrapped beneath the tree, hand picked just for them.

Much of the Christmas story, and our own stories, are enveloped in the belief of what is yet to come.  Elizabeth waited her entire child-bearing years for a baby; when none came, she refused to accept that her advanced age could somehow limit the God she trusted.  And she was right; what seemed ridiculously absurd to hope for, even to her own husband, God gave. They had a son who was “a joy and a delight; filled with the Holy Spirit from birth, in order to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”  That’s pretty over-the-top, Christmas morning type magic! Or as Elizabeth put it, “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”

30 years after his birth, their son John proved to be the gift that kept on giving.  “The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ.”  But he answered them, “.one more powerful than I will come.”  And when He did, John beheld and baptized the literal, physical form of the most extraordinary, invisible God.

..

Wonder.  Possibility.  Expectancy.

These are the gifts of Christmas Advent. This is how we make our days of longing count; with childlike confidence that the wonders of his love will be revealed in us, and our years of expectant waiting will one day manifest in Joy to the world and Glory to God in the highest!  Our indispensable belief is this: he came as a baby, grew as a man, died as a savior, and lives as king.  Our blessed assurance remains…He is coming again. 

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Even so, Come Lord Jesus.  Revelation 22:20

~Elizabeth D. 

Capturing Gratitude

“I’m thanking you, God, from a full heart, I’m writing the book on your wonders. I’m whistling, laughing, and jumping for joy; I’m singing your song, High God”. 

Psalms 9, 1-2. 

A full heart…in my current season of life I read this as a busy heart. A heart that gives to career and family.  A heart that tries to make time for friends, often unsuccessfully.  A heart that overlooks laundry mountains and thrown together dinners around the kitchen island.  A heart that can beat with joy one minute and panic the next. A heart that wants to slow life down before kids are grown and parents have passed.  A heart with good intentions. A busy heart is a full heart.  

In my nearly, ahem, 40 years of life I have learned a secret to slow life down. It’s not a fountain of youth or bogus crème for your crow’s feet.  It’s a camera. And by camera, I mean phone. Someday maybe I’ll venture into a big girl camera, but for now I love having the power to freeze time in my back pocket. It’s a need. It’s a power.  It’s a gift.  An act of gratitude. 

The idea that you can capture gratitude with a click calms my heart. It’s a pause button for life.  The coolest remote control ever. A way for me to show Jesus I’m listening.  Please tell me Jesus can follow my Instagram feed from heaven, right? 

“Hey Jesus, it’s me again. Seriously, oceans? Mind-blowing. Thank you for allowing me to introduce my kids to it for the first time.  Their reaction was priceless. My parents missed this moment with me after the divorce. But remember how I saw the ocean for the first time with you and my youth group?  The ocean helped my 14-year-old brain see a bigger picture. Thanks for that.” 

“Hey Jesus, it’s me again. I used to tell my husband when I get to heaven I would stroll through sunflowers as far as one could see. Like in the Gladiator movie, but way happier. Look what I found! I guess heaven really is on Earth. Good call. “ 

“Hey, Jesus, it’s me again. You know what I like most about tea? That it needs to steep before it’s good. I need to steep more. “

“Hey Jesus, it’s me again. How do you know when to keep holding on and when to let go? I think I get the two confused sometimes. Ok, lots of times.“

In this season of Thanksgiving, go about your day looking to pause moments of gratitude. The more you see…the more you will see.  

Capture your gratitude. Then share it using #hccksgratitude. 

With a full heart, 

Shelisa Welde

Motivation

I started worrying about writing this blog post early on knowing full well I have nothing to write about, nothing to contribute.  You see, my area of “expertise” if you will is teaching…children, families, creativity, art projects, fun stuff.  I’ve contributed to the blog for the past two years on a fairly regular basis but it’s all been in my comfort zone.  I’ve come up with and posted activities to do with your family and your children (remember the paint filled eggs?!) but I felt like this year’s post should be different…and perhaps I should stretch outside of my “comfort zone” a bit more than in the past.

I am in a season where I am struggling with motivation...for anything really.  I struggle for motivation to meal plan, cook, play, read, work out, socialize, craft, shower, look for a house, and the list could go on (rest assured though, despite the lack of motivation, my family isn’t starving and I have actually showered!☺).  My heart aches with the failure I feel as of late.  I know it’s the enemy camping out in my brain and worse yet, in my heart.  

I’m not totally sure why the lack of motivation has presented itself lately but perhaps it has something to do with being stuck inside more with the colder days and darker evenings.  I am finding myself lost in my own thoughts, thinking ahead to situations, wasting time, not being fully present, and not filling myself with God.  I am totally guilty right now of selfish ambitions and not seeking out the Lord.  It feels a bit funny (and a bit vulnerable!) to write that, but it’s true nonetheless.  It’s easy for my focus to not be on the right thing…thinking about upcoming holidays and the surrounding emotions involved, to do lists growing longer by the minute, etc.  I must remember Philippians 4:6 though which reminds us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” 

But no amount of any THING is going to change my motivation.  It’s not like all of a sudden I am going to wake up one morning and find my motivation has returned while I slept (how amazing would that be?!).  What will change my motivation is turning to and seeking Jesus more.  Just like the “Shift” series we had awhile back, I need to have a shift of focus right now.  I’m making less time for God when these are the times I need God the most.    

Hebrews 4:16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

-Julie

Changing Seasons

In just a few short weeks, I will be hosting our family’s Thanksgiving dinner for the first time.  I have overwhelmed my brain with tips, recipes, and enough images from Pinterest to drown me in comparison for years.  I have read so many “How to Cook a Turkey” articles that I almost feel as if I have done this before.  But trust me, I have not!

I’m fortunate in that my mom has always hosted Thanksgiving at her house; the home where I grew up.  She loves having everyone gathered around the table and celebrating well beyond the tryptophan naps.  Her house has long been the epicenter for our extended family gatherings.  However, a personal new season is dawning and all that has been familiar about the holidays is about to change.  I recently learned that my parents have decided to downsize and are moving to a home that requires a little less upkeep.  It is an absolutely natural next step for them, but an unexpected one for me.  

Since learning this news, I have been a mess of emotions, some pragmatic, others impractical.  I’m not proud to admit, but I may or may not have immediately gone over and written my name in a secret spot in their house just because I wanted to leave my mark on the place I called home for most of my childhood. Despite my wide range of emotions in regards to my parent’s move, I always return and camp out under a giant umbrella of thankfulness.  During this Thanksgiving season where we focus on gratitude, it is easy to reflect on the foundation of stability, love and encouragement I was blessed to receive inside of those walls.  

As I am attempting to help my parents prepare for their biggest move in the past thirty-five years (maybe even their lives), I have been captured by the reminder in Ecclesiastes 3:1 that “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: …”   None of us really saw this move coming (except for my parents), but I am certain that this is the exact right time for them to move. God knew when I offered to host Thanksgiving back in June, that we would be in the process of ending one chapter full of memories in my parent’s home while celebrating the beginning of a new era for our family and all of the memories yet to be in their new one. 

God fills our lives with seasons that begin and end in His perfect timing.  We have to let one go before we can fully embrace the next.  He is a good, good Father and He assuredly wraps some beauty and gifts to be discovered by us along the way. So this Thanksgiving, as I juggle turkeys, side dishes, pumpkin pies and a few moving boxes, I will also be holding my open hands toward heaven in deep gratitude. My heart’s eyes will be looking for His blessings along the way.  My prayers will be layered with thanks for His many good gifts, but especially for family and for a sense of “home” that no walls can ever contain. 

(And maybe a little prayer for a turkey that comes out of the oven right on time and actually tastes good! - ha!)

- Sarah L.

Fall into a New Rhythm

Psalm 1:2-3 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does he prospers.

Autumn, how we love thee!  We gather your crops and fruits as we marvel at your color.  The countryside is ablaze with your beauty.  Slowly our thoughts begin to simmer with quieter, cozy days ahead.  Fall always beckons me outside with more urgency than its predecessor, tempting me with its pleasing temperatures and vibrant scenery.  Long walks, crunchy leaves and the smell of a campfire is a warm sweater to the soul. Did someone say sweater weather!?  Finally!  

                                 

As summer pushes us over the edge of adventure, fall comes alongside and whispers for us to slow our step and take it all in.  Walks with our little ones beg us to linger, to collect every shade of leaf, all the acorns we can carry and lay long on a soft pile of leaves with our faces to the sky, watching them fall.  These standstill moments are the beginning of a new rhythm. 

Thank goodness we don’t skip from summer, knee deep into snow!  We are gently, gracefully coaxed into the months of hibernation that lay before us.  Slowly but surely we get from point A to point B whether we like it or not.  For some, the thought of winter makes them grumpy!  Others find their happy place when the world is snow white.  I land somewhere in between.  Each year I eagerly welcome fall into winter and all the warm, snug, comfy routines that come with them but by February I’m a bit cranky.

 As the temperatures dip and force us inside, shoulder to shoulder with those we love, may we use this new rhythm to connect more deeply with our families and our God.  Is there a way to embrace this slower pace over without our spirits withering and our minds and bodies going stir crazy?    The season itself can remind us how to slow down and purposefully engage with those around us making the most of this time.

 Abide.  The days ahead are the perfect place to put on our comfy socks and settle into our favorite chair and be still, using these extra hours of darkness to spend some extra time with Jesus.  Abiding in his love, soaking up his word and allowing him to speak life into our hearts, keeping us from withering up like the leaves of the season.

Unplug.  Let’s look into each other’s eyes.  Unplug from our devices and plug into the eyes that are searching for ours.  How splendid it would be if we all forgot where we put our phones, didn’t check social media for more than a few hours and chose to live the life that is right here, right now.

Take a look back.  As we look ahead to a new year it’s valuable to reflect on what got us here.  Times ofrejoicing and days that fought to overcome us but through it all Jesus was faithful and we are changed.  As we remember God’s goodness, journaling can be a beautiful path to reflection.  Be encouraged that it’s never too late to begin!  

Unleash your creativity.  We all have creative threads running through us!  Go ahead, pull them out and weave them through the long days ahead.  Family craft nights could become a tradition.  Be brave, paint your first picture!  Learn to play an instrument or finally try those Pinterest projects you’ve pinned.  Create!

Make room.  Slowing our rhythm naturally allows for more space, more room for what’s important. Maybe reclaiming dinner as a family, making a new friend or reconnecting with one that is lost.  Leaving room for God to speak to us and reveal his plan for our moments.

Name your blessings.  A joyful heart is a thankful heart.  May we search for them as treasure and write them down…maybe in our journal!  What if we woke up tomorrow, with only the things we had thanked God for today…

Blessings, 

Debbie

Why Would I Want to be a Christian When Christians are being Persecuted?

This is the question my 11-year-old daughter asked me. I love how she’s not afraid to ask the hard questions – and is already considering if faith in Jesus is worth the cost. It is a question worth having the answer to – so I did my best to answer her great question.

“Because this short, temporary life is just not as important as the next eternal one”, I explain to her dismay.

“What!? Well this life is important to me! I’m not going to get my head chopped off over a word! I’ll just say I’m not a Christian. What does it matter? I will still know I believe in Jesus and God.” She retorts, angry that I am apparently (to her) not worried about her little life. Which, of course, I do more than words can ever say, as all mothers know.

“They don’t deny Jesus because then others will see how real and important their faith really is – are words and our actions are all we have to show that God is real. No one would die for a faith they were uncertain of. That’s why Jesus’ friends died in the Bible – because they knew their faith was real and wanted others to know it meant more than their life on earth. How would anyone know Jesus is real if they don’t see someone living like they believe it?” I asked.

“I don’t like that God will let us die because of our faith.” She said matter-of-factly.
“Me either. But it’s really not about what we like or don’t like…we just don’t get to choose how we will die. Jesus didn’t want to die for his faith either – but he did. ”

Yep – no great answers to really great questions.

But I believe it’s true. I don’t want to suffer for my faith either. But great convictions convince others of their truth. No one is willing to suffer for a cause they do not believe in – but when people all over the world will suffer and die because of what they do believe…people take notice.
There’s something about that kind of faith – that kind of conviction – that causes people to want to know if it’s true.

The faith that convicts people to love, then that love produces good deeds and helps others – and then others take notice and wonder why someone would love them enough to help them, for what reason?
That love transforms lives and minds and makes people question why they would want to be a Christian.

-Tara G.