Christmas, Poetry & Words

CHRISTMAS :: “…the power of Christmas is when spiritual and material meet.”

Over exposed photo of christmas ornaments on white background

“Some people want to filter the material out of Christmas and morph it into some pure ethereal spirit religious day. And some people want to filter all the spiritual out of it and make it simply a holiday celebrating the purchasing power of plastic. But the power of Christmas is when spiritual and material meet. And it always has been. That is the joy of the season, that is the good news, that is the laughter and the paradox and the earth-shaking magic of Christmas. The infinite Word became a physical baby.”

-via (Rachel) Lizzie Jankovic’s excellent article Of Kids and Christmas

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Inspiration

“The disciple living by grace…”

Image from August Photo Challenge archives - Slovene Bible“The disciple living by grace rather than law has undergone a decisive conversion–a turning from mistrust to trust. The foremost characteristic of living by grace is to trust in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.

To believe deeply, as Jesus did, that God is alive and present and at work in human life is to understand that I am a beloved child of this Father, and hence, free to trust. That makes a profound difference in the way I relate to myself and others; it makes an enormous difference in the way I live. To trust Abba, both in prayer and life, is to stand in childlike openness before a mystery of gracious love and acceptance. […]

To be alive is to be broken. And to be broken is to stand in need of grace…There is a beautiful transparency to honest disciples who never wear a false face and do not pretend to be anything but who they are.

When a man or woman is truly honest (not just working at it), it is virtually impossible to insult them personally. There is nothing to insult. Those who were truly ready for the kingdom were just such people. Their inner poverty of spirit and rigorous honesty had set them free. They had nothing to be proud of.”

-Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel

Poetry & Words

Battling Discouragement

Thoughtful Aveline in lavender

I am overwhelmed. I feel like it’s impossible to meet some of the deadlines looming this week. My mind keeps racing up and down my to-do list.

I panic over the fear of not doing something I should. I beat myself up over what there is left to do. I get discouraged by my weaknesses.  I should have already done this, I should have been stronger, I should have done more, I should have… I focus on the undone, the unfinished, the incomplete.

I am a perfectionist.

This is a terrible way to live; this is not freedom.

I want, instead, to live life with open arms, accepting the endless grace God has for me. I want to receive the peace He is offering me. I want to trade in my turmoil for rest. I want to lay my stubbornness down at His feet and admit that no, I can’t do it all. No, I can’t do it perfectly.

But His grace is sufficient.  His power is perfected in my weakness.

And if I feel like I’ve failed today, it’s okay. His mercies are new every single morning.

Inspiration

One of my Very Favorite Songs from the New Josh Garrels Album

If you haven’t downloaded Josh Garrels’ brand-new (FREE!) album “Love & War”, what are you waiting for?!

“Farther Along” – Josh Garrels

“Farther along we’ll know all about it
Farther along we’ll understand why
Cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We’ll understand this, all by and by…

…So much more to life than we’ve been told
It’s full of beauty that will unfold
And shine like you struck gold my wayward son
That deadweight burden weighs a ton
Go down into the river and let it run
And wash away all the things you’ve done
Forgiveness alright…”

Poetry & Words

therefore we will not fear. there’s nothing left to fear.

last night, in the wee smalls of  the dusky hours before morning, i woke up suddenly out of the blue. for once, it wasn’t because aveline was awake. she was silently and peacefully asleep, her gentle breathing a comforting rhythm, her tiny body beautiful against the periwinkle crib sheet. but i was gently awakened in the silent night. awake and alone,  i picked up my phone and it was then i realized why i had been pulled out of sleep. so there i was, in those wee smalls between a sleeping husband and a sleeping baby, texting my dear friend shanley. she was driving all night just to get home. she’d received that call. you know the one. the one where they say, please come home. this is it. Continue reading “therefore we will not fear. there’s nothing left to fear.”

Life in Photos, Poetry & Words

a quiet friday morning

surprised baby face offcenter in photograph

it’s friday. i woke up to grumpy little noises, an impatient baby reminding me she hadn’t eaten in three whole hours. i picked her up and walked into the living room — right into coral-colored sunshine. the rays had painted a bright swath down the middle of our living room, and were dancing happily against the edges of the window. i smiled. it’s been a long time since i thought a morning was actually beautiful. mornings and i aren’t the best of friends, but lately, we’ve grown closer and closer. i’ve been seen all the shadows of the sundial over the past four months. sunsets, sunrises, and all the faces of the in-between moon.

it’s beautiful, this life. this wild, great, unpredictable life. and it’s so full of hope. this morning i read jeremiah 46:26: But fear not thou, O Jacob my servant, neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be quiet and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.

there’s so much comfort in those words. i read them over again, as the coffee filled the air and aveline leaned her velvety cheek on my shoulder. fear not. be quiet and at ease. none shall make you afraid.

happy weekend, dear friends. be filled with hope today, and face–without fear–whatever the day brings you.

baby hand grasping handful of blanket

plush lamb teething rattle on light blue background

Inspiration

if there is any meaning…

“If there is any meaning in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, it is this: that there is a God who create us, and who loves us so much that he would stop at nothing to bring us to him. And I really suspect that of all things that we want to know, the only thing we really need to know is that we are loved. And if Jesus means anything, he means that you are loved. I hope you know that. And I hope you stop worrying about all the stuff that you don’t know, because I don’t think it amounts to  a hill of beans.” –Rich Mullins