ANGEL-FILLED ADVENT
Wouldn’t it be wonderful
if Advent came filled with angels and alleluias?
Wouldn’t it be perfect
if we were greeted on these December mornings
with a hovering of heavenly hosts
tuning their harps and brushing up on their fa-la-las?
Wouldn’t it be incredible
if their music filled our waking hours
with the promise of peace on earth
and if each Advent night we dreamed of nothing but goodwill?
Wouldn’t we be ecstatic
if we could take those angels shopping,
or trim the tree or have them hold our hands
and dance through our houses decorating?
And, oh, how glorious it would be
to sit in church next to an angel
and sing our hark-the-heralds!
What an Advent that would be!
What Christmas spirit we could have!
An angel-filled Advent has so many possibilities!
But in lieu of that,
perhaps we can give thanks
for the good earthly joys we have been given
and for the earthly “angels” that we know
who do such a good job of filling
Our Advent with alleluias!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
KNEELING IN BETHLEHEM
KNEELING IN BETHLEHEM
WITH YESTERDAY’S PAIN
Some of us walk into Advent
Tethered to our unresolved yesterdays
The pain still stabbing
The hurt still throbbing.
It’s not that we don’t know better;
It’s just that we can’t stand up anymore by ourselves.
On the way to Bethlehem,
Will you give us a hand?
…Ann Weems
WITH YESTERDAY’S PAIN
Some of us walk into Advent
Tethered to our unresolved yesterdays
The pain still stabbing
The hurt still throbbing.
It’s not that we don’t know better;
It’s just that we can’t stand up anymore by ourselves.
On the way to Bethlehem,
Will you give us a hand?
…Ann Weems
Friday, December 2, 2011
“Do not be like the horse or the mule…”Psalm 32:9 NIV
My Granddaddy Goodson’s horse, Dan, demonstrated to me what that verse must mean. His leathery mouth was so tough; it took a special bridle with two bits to control him. Even though Dan remains to this day the horse I loved the most, he challenged me at every turn.
I’m sure that I must be somewhat like Dan to my heavenly Father, even though He specifically instructs me not to be. My stubborn, headstrong will needs extra attention. In the verse prior to verse 9 we read: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;I will counsel you and watch over you.” Psalm 32:8
Thank you, Father, for Divine Counsel, Divine Guidance, Divine Teaching and being my Divine Teacher. Even as the ‘Horse Whisperer and trainer whispers in the velvety ear of his steed which way to go as he uses the bridle to turn the animal, stop the animal, urge the horse forward with his heels, You guide me, teach me and counsel me.
Addendum: The time finally came when I could ride Dan without bridle or bit for short distances. He could surprise me at any moment, however, and did quite often. I suppose the mighty animal wanted me to know that just because he allowed me to control him, his strength was not to be toyed with. “Don’t be like the horse or the mule.”
Perhaps that’s why the Lord chose a donkey to transport the Holy Family and a donkey to transport a KING into Jerusalem.
My Granddaddy Goodson’s horse, Dan, demonstrated to me what that verse must mean. His leathery mouth was so tough; it took a special bridle with two bits to control him. Even though Dan remains to this day the horse I loved the most, he challenged me at every turn.
I’m sure that I must be somewhat like Dan to my heavenly Father, even though He specifically instructs me not to be. My stubborn, headstrong will needs extra attention. In the verse prior to verse 9 we read: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;I will counsel you and watch over you.” Psalm 32:8
Thank you, Father, for Divine Counsel, Divine Guidance, Divine Teaching and being my Divine Teacher. Even as the ‘Horse Whisperer and trainer whispers in the velvety ear of his steed which way to go as he uses the bridle to turn the animal, stop the animal, urge the horse forward with his heels, You guide me, teach me and counsel me.
Addendum: The time finally came when I could ride Dan without bridle or bit for short distances. He could surprise me at any moment, however, and did quite often. I suppose the mighty animal wanted me to know that just because he allowed me to control him, his strength was not to be toyed with. “Don’t be like the horse or the mule.”
Perhaps that’s why the Lord chose a donkey to transport the Holy Family and a donkey to transport a KING into Jerusalem.
“Do not be like the horse or the mule…”Psalm 32:9 NIV
My granddaddy Goodson’s horse, Dan, demonstrated to me what that verse must mean. His leathery mouth was so tough; it took a special bridle with two bits to control him. Even though Dan remains to this day the horse I loved the most, he challenged me at every turn.
I’m sure that I must be somewhat like Dan to my heave...nly Father, even though He specifically instructs me not to be. My stubborn, headstrong will needs extra attention. In the verse prior to verse 9 we read: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;I will counsel you and watch over you.” Psalm 32:8
Thank you, Father, for Divine Counsel, Divine Guidance, Divine Teaching and being my Divine Teacher. Even as the ‘Horse Whisperer and trainer whispers in the velvety ear of his steed which way to go as he uses the bridle to turn the animal, stop the animal, urge the horse forward with his heels, You guide me, teach me and counsel me.
Addendum: The time finally came when I could ride Dan without bridle or bit for short distances. He could surprise me at any moment, however, and did quite often. I suppose the mighty animal wanted me to know that just because he allowed me to control him, his strength was not to be toyed with. “Don’t be like the horse or the mule.”
Perhaps that’s why the Lord chose a donkey to transport the Holy Family and a donkey to transport a KING into Jerusalem.
My granddaddy Goodson’s horse, Dan, demonstrated to me what that verse must mean. His leathery mouth was so tough; it took a special bridle with two bits to control him. Even though Dan remains to this day the horse I loved the most, he challenged me at every turn.
I’m sure that I must be somewhat like Dan to my heave...nly Father, even though He specifically instructs me not to be. My stubborn, headstrong will needs extra attention. In the verse prior to verse 9 we read: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;I will counsel you and watch over you.” Psalm 32:8
Thank you, Father, for Divine Counsel, Divine Guidance, Divine Teaching and being my Divine Teacher. Even as the ‘Horse Whisperer and trainer whispers in the velvety ear of his steed which way to go as he uses the bridle to turn the animal, stop the animal, urge the horse forward with his heels, You guide me, teach me and counsel me.
Addendum: The time finally came when I could ride Dan without bridle or bit for short distances. He could surprise me at any moment, however, and did quite often. I suppose the mighty animal wanted me to know that just because he allowed me to control him, his strength was not to be toyed with. “Don’t be like the horse or the mule.”
Perhaps that’s why the Lord chose a donkey to transport the Holy Family and a donkey to transport a KING into Jerusalem.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
To Grandmother's House We Go
“Over the river and through the woods
To Grandmother’s house we go.
The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh
Through white and drifting snow...ooo”
I’ve always loved that old song by Lydia Maria Child. Surely it conjures up sweet memories of doing just that, but without the snow, regrettably…and the horse…and the sleigh. You get my drift. The excitement of going home for the holidays, whether it is Thanksgiving or Christmas or both, quickens the pulse.
As the LORD led me to His 23rd Psalm this morning, I prayed my way through it slowly, personalizing every word, every phrase. When I came to the 6th and last verse that promises, “and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” I saw that at some point in time I had penciled in the margin: “I’m on my way to Your House”.
During this holiday season, my desire is that you would read that dear and precious psalm as if He wrote it just for you…and I think He did. Rejoice in that Jehovah Rohi, The LORD my Shepherd; your Shepherd would pen such a love note to us. Ponder it, pray it, personalize it and as the Shepherd Himself anoints your head with His sweet oil, claim the promise that, “Surely, goodness and mercy will follow you (through the rush, the cooking, the shopping, the decorating, the tables set before you, laden with the feasts the Lord prepares, knowing every minute that you’re headed for the evermore dwelling place of our Shepherd Savior.
I’m on my way to Your House, Lord.
To Grandmother’s house we go.
The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh
Through white and drifting snow...ooo”
I’ve always loved that old song by Lydia Maria Child. Surely it conjures up sweet memories of doing just that, but without the snow, regrettably…and the horse…and the sleigh. You get my drift. The excitement of going home for the holidays, whether it is Thanksgiving or Christmas or both, quickens the pulse.
As the LORD led me to His 23rd Psalm this morning, I prayed my way through it slowly, personalizing every word, every phrase. When I came to the 6th and last verse that promises, “and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” I saw that at some point in time I had penciled in the margin: “I’m on my way to Your House”.
During this holiday season, my desire is that you would read that dear and precious psalm as if He wrote it just for you…and I think He did. Rejoice in that Jehovah Rohi, The LORD my Shepherd; your Shepherd would pen such a love note to us. Ponder it, pray it, personalize it and as the Shepherd Himself anoints your head with His sweet oil, claim the promise that, “Surely, goodness and mercy will follow you (through the rush, the cooking, the shopping, the decorating, the tables set before you, laden with the feasts the Lord prepares, knowing every minute that you’re headed for the evermore dwelling place of our Shepherd Savior.
I’m on my way to Your House, Lord.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
MEMORY LANE
When does traveling down ‘memory lane’ lead you to the wrong road and possibly get you stuck in the mud?
We’ve been cleaning out the garage…again. It seems never ending. Boxes of old pictures, scrapbooks (literally so old they are scraps), children’s pictures, greeting cards and on and on it goes. It takes me forever to look through the cards, ooh and Ahh over the pictures and tear up at the love letters and giggle at the Junior High School puppy love notes folded in that special way. Yes, I am a pack rat but refuse to be a hoarder, so no interventions necessary, even though Dennis might disagree.
I found love letters from my husband when he was at football camp, coaching. Yes, he can write those also.
There’s the picture of David with the bulletin dating back to August 8, 1976, when he responded to “Jesus is Tenderly Calling” and made a public profession of faith at First Baptist Church, Woodruff, SC. Todd’s funny (and serious) Mother’s Day cards and red heart with white lace and an “I love you” inside Valentine. Caleb’s first birthday, Jacob’s 3rd, Luke’s first, Catie, Boaz, Becca, Briana and Eliyah all precious memories. Pictures of the oldest friends, still in touch, always bring smiles. I CANNOT THROW THOSE AWAY!
The problem lies in how much to throw away and how much to hold onto. Which memories lead to paths better not traveled or even into the ditch? “Momma, who is that boy you’re dancing with?” Todd asked if his Dad minded me having pictures of other guys from the past. I’ve even found myself dreaming about some of these people and places. Not in a bad way, mind you. We both had lives before we met in 1967.
So, how do we keep from getting stuck in the mud? Obvious answer: Scripture speaks a lot about remembering; it also speaks about moving on. Isaiah 46:9 tells us to “Remember the former things, those of long ago”. Memorials were set up so that we would not forget how the LORD intervened in situations a number of times in the Old Testament Passages. Check out your Bible concordance for the word, remembering.
The Apostle Paul tells us: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.” (Phil 3:13) I could list many more Scripture passages. Truthfully, I don’t mind throwing away a lot of the things I’ve saved, but I guess my children will just have to bear up under getting rid of the rest. Sorry, kids!
I remember the good, throw away the not so good and praise God for his infinite mercy in my life…right after I finish going through this box of saved poems and prose. I’ll ‘strain ahead’ to what’s next on the schedule “pressing on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”(Phil 3:14 NIV)
We’ve been cleaning out the garage…again. It seems never ending. Boxes of old pictures, scrapbooks (literally so old they are scraps), children’s pictures, greeting cards and on and on it goes. It takes me forever to look through the cards, ooh and Ahh over the pictures and tear up at the love letters and giggle at the Junior High School puppy love notes folded in that special way. Yes, I am a pack rat but refuse to be a hoarder, so no interventions necessary, even though Dennis might disagree.
I found love letters from my husband when he was at football camp, coaching. Yes, he can write those also.
There’s the picture of David with the bulletin dating back to August 8, 1976, when he responded to “Jesus is Tenderly Calling” and made a public profession of faith at First Baptist Church, Woodruff, SC. Todd’s funny (and serious) Mother’s Day cards and red heart with white lace and an “I love you” inside Valentine. Caleb’s first birthday, Jacob’s 3rd, Luke’s first, Catie, Boaz, Becca, Briana and Eliyah all precious memories. Pictures of the oldest friends, still in touch, always bring smiles. I CANNOT THROW THOSE AWAY!
The problem lies in how much to throw away and how much to hold onto. Which memories lead to paths better not traveled or even into the ditch? “Momma, who is that boy you’re dancing with?” Todd asked if his Dad minded me having pictures of other guys from the past. I’ve even found myself dreaming about some of these people and places. Not in a bad way, mind you. We both had lives before we met in 1967.
So, how do we keep from getting stuck in the mud? Obvious answer: Scripture speaks a lot about remembering; it also speaks about moving on. Isaiah 46:9 tells us to “Remember the former things, those of long ago”. Memorials were set up so that we would not forget how the LORD intervened in situations a number of times in the Old Testament Passages. Check out your Bible concordance for the word, remembering.
The Apostle Paul tells us: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.” (Phil 3:13) I could list many more Scripture passages. Truthfully, I don’t mind throwing away a lot of the things I’ve saved, but I guess my children will just have to bear up under getting rid of the rest. Sorry, kids!
I remember the good, throw away the not so good and praise God for his infinite mercy in my life…right after I finish going through this box of saved poems and prose. I’ll ‘strain ahead’ to what’s next on the schedule “pressing on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”(Phil 3:14 NIV)
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Truths from "Tweens"
Saturday, my eleven year old grandson and I rode through Chick-fill-A drive through. Half way around I saw the car wash sponsored by/for Wounded Warriors Project. “Ahh, I wish I’d waited to get the car washed and let them wash it. I’ve wanted to donate to their purpose.”
Boaz asked, “What is Wounded Warriors?” I explained to him about the military that have been wounded coming home with major expenses and even more major challenges.
“I could just give them some money instead of having them wash my car.” I saw one of the groups with their bucket headed in our direction. From beside came the wisdom of youth, “Well, Nana, it’s not how much you give …but how much you keep.”
So, I immediately proceeded to dig deeper into my purse and donated to a very worthy cause. My car had already been washed but now my conscience got the wax job. Thank you, Boaz
Boaz asked, “What is Wounded Warriors?” I explained to him about the military that have been wounded coming home with major expenses and even more major challenges.
“I could just give them some money instead of having them wash my car.” I saw one of the groups with their bucket headed in our direction. From beside came the wisdom of youth, “Well, Nana, it’s not how much you give …but how much you keep.”
So, I immediately proceeded to dig deeper into my purse and donated to a very worthy cause. My car had already been washed but now my conscience got the wax job. Thank you, Boaz
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