Hope To It

After today, November will be a thing of the past!  I can hardly believe 2016 is almost over!  The year has flown by, faster than ever before it seems.

In the midst of the busyness and chaos, I am trying to be more intentional to focus on what really matters this holiday season.  This takes quite a bit of effort, but I believe doing so will be worthwhile!

Earlier this week, I wrote a little bit about HOPE and want to return to that topic again this afternoon.  Craedyn is napping, and I am HOPING she stays asleep long enough for me to finish this blog post! I guess I better HOP to it then!

If you remember, we looked at several passages pointing us to JESUS and urging us to put our hope in Him and Him alone.  Let's dive a little bit deeper and try to understand why this is sooo crucial if we are to experience the holidays and ANY day like God would have us.

Putting our trust in someone we can't see isn't exactly the easiest thing in the world.  Relying on our spouse or friends or co-workers or really anyone we can touch and feel is a bit more natural.  We can call them on the phone, send them a text, grab a bit to eat or catch up over coffee.  We can laugh, or cry, together.  We can whine, complain, vent.  And in so doing, we miss out on the wonderful opportunity to PRAY and go before God with our requests.  He is right there, waiting for us to come into His presence and pour our hearts out to Him.  

BUT, we can't see Him.  

Out of sight, out of mind, as the saying goes.

That is why I am working so hard to keep Jesus at the center of everything as Christmas approaches.

As I am learning more about HOPE, I am realizing how it goes hand in hand with FAITH.  

And this journey takes me to the realm of the invisible!

I can't see Jesus.
But I KNOW He is here.
I can look BACK at what He has done in the past and trust He will continue to work in my life NOW.
I can hold tightly to His promises and be CONFIDENT and certain He has my FUTURE covered too.
I can rest in Him and be filled with peace that this world simply cannot offer me.



I may not always understand what God is doing or why He is doing it.

I bet Noah had some questions when he was on the ark.  Being couped up with all those animals, rain pouring down nonstop for 40 days, might make a person go crazy.

I bet Joseph might have had a second or two of doubt as he was carried away to Egypt, sold by his jealous brothers.  I'm thinking he could have been puzzled at the whole being thrown in prison espisode too, especially since he was innocent and had gone out of his way to do the RIGHT thing.

I am going to guess that Mary and Martha wondered why in the world Jesus hadn't come BEFORE their brother Lazarus died, instead of waiting until he had been in the tomb for several days.

Peter probably muttered some choice words under his breath when Jesus told him to cast his net on the OTHER side of his boat.  Like there would be fish over there all of a sudden after an entire night of not catching a single thing?!  His tune might have changed pretty fast as he watched the net fill and he had to call for help to real in all the fish that then proceeded to nearly sink his boat!

I could share story after story of times that God WAS at work, behind the scenes or in ways the people would have NEVER expected.  Hebrews 11 is FULL of these incredible testimonies.  As we read about these men and women who trusted God, we see not only how profound HOPE is but even more so how God NEVER fails those who surrender their lives to Him.  These men and women CLUNG to God's promises.

May we do the same today!!!



After you finish Hebrews 11, don't stop.  Keep going and take a look at how we can live out our faith and hope on a daily basis.



Eyes on JESUS.
HE is our hope.

Paul tells us this great and wonderful promise in his letter to the Philippians, "we can do ALL things through Christ, who is our strength."

We may not see Him, but Jesus is IN us.
I don't know about you, but that FILLS me with HOPE!



As we go about this holiday season, may we not rush so quickly towards Christmas that we forget WHO we are celebrating.

I pray you will find time and MAKE time this very day to sit at Jesus' feet.
Let Him speak to you.
Listen to His words.
I invite you to especially take a look at 1 Peter...

May we let these promises sink in.
May we believe them with all our hearts.
May we go out and LIVE them.
Let's HOPE to it!

Prepare Him Room: HOPE

The turkey has been carved, the mashed potatoes gobbled down, and the pumpkin pie devoured.

Christmas trees are being decorated, lights are being strung, stockings are being stuffed.

Black Friday sales have been processed and Cyber Monday is in full swing as I type.

The holidays are here, and I fear that in all the hustle and bustle of trying to get the best deal and save the most money, we might actually miss out on the ultimate GIFT being offered to us.

In our attempts to mimic the magazine covers and make our houses pinterest worthy, we arrange the holly, hang the wreaths, adorn the mantle, and color coordinate the ornaments on the tree.  Everything might be perfectly arranged, yet we are missing something.  Or SOMEONE.

We forget that our HEART is Jesus' home.
And this season, more than any other, shouldn't we be preparing room for HIM?

After all, JESUS is the reason we celebrate Christmas.
Somehow, though, in all the hullabuloo, little baby Jesus gets overlooked.

Santa, reindeer, on-line deals, fancy feasts, ugly Christmas sweater contests, white elephant gift exchanges, and who knows what all else overshadow what really matters.



The quiet manger is suddenly so crowded.

What if this year was different?
What if we took time, MADE time, to reflect?
What if we approached Christmas in a new way?

I have certainly not mastered this yet, but would love to invite you to figure it out with me.
Maybe together, we can understand what Christmas is really all about and truly experience the most wonderful time of the year!

Since I am still learning, I thought we could use the ADVENT calendar to help us focus our minds and transform our hearts.  Each week leading up to Christmas, a specific word gives us direction on the journey to find Jesus.



The first week is all about HOPE.
So, I guess the first question we must ask ourselves is: What IS hope?



If you look in a dictionary, you discover hope is

to desire with expectation of obtainment; 

to expect with confidence; 

to trust.

Having studied the Bible a good part of my life, I am immediately drawn to the Psalms.

In chapter 33, David reminds us, "We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield."

Later, in chapter 62, he writes, "Let all that I am quietly wait before God, for my hope is in Him."

If only this would assure us that life from then on would be easy, without any trouble.

Instead, earlier, in chapters 42 and 43, we see that in the midst of discouragement, we ought to turn to God, who alone is our hope.  

You see, even when life is chaotic and seems to be turned upside, God doesn't change.  And since our hope is in HIM and NOT people or the things of the world, we can remain calm and confident.  As the author of Hebrews comforts us, "So God has given us His promise and His oath.  These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.  This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.  It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary."

If we go back to the end of that verse, we see something beautiful!  Hope leads us into God's very presence.  And once in His presence, we can be filled with
His power,
His peace,
His joy,
His love,
His strength,
His wisdom,
His glory.

THAT sure beats any present under the tree!

I don't care how much money you saved on Black Friday, being in God's presence tops it all!

Best part - you don't have to wait in line or beat any crowds.

His throne room is open at all times and the invitation to come in is always extended!  

No midnight deadlines or limited quantities available.  

Come one, come all!

The more the merrier!

I have so much more I want to say about HOPE, but I think this is a good start.

As we start the week (at least I am writing this on a Monday), may we take time and MAKE time to be still before God, to quiet our hearts, to prepare room for JESUS.  

Invite Him to come in, to speak to you, to show you His plans and promises.

Listen.

Look in His Word.

And as you do, you can't help but to begin to put your HOPE in Him more and more, and the world less and less.

Kyiah Hesed Turns 3

This past weekend, my "baby" girl turned 3!
I know she's not my baby anymore.  And  hasn't been for awhile now, but seriously time is just flying. I swear it flies by faster and faster each day.  Each year zooms by...and here we are at another milestone!



Kyiah is THREE!!!!

I am not sure how 3 years have passed already because I still remember the day Kyiah was born.  I could tell you EVERY detail of her birth, like it was yesterday.



Granted, her birth was FAST and furious...but I don't really think she has slowed down since that afternoon she made her grand appearance.

We chose Kyiah's name because it means "vibrant life," which she has certainly lived up to so far.  Her middle name is Hesed, which is Hebrew for "God's never-ending, unfailing love for us."  Every time I say her name, I am reminded how much God loves me.  No matter what I do, or don't do, He loves me.  He loves me more than I could ever imagine.  His love is deeper, wider, higher, stronger, more extravagant, and more outlandish than we could ever believe!



Sometimes we refer to Kyiah as our little firecracker.  She is full of laughter and joy.  I love her giggles, and her smile is so contagious.  She can be super sweet, but let me tell ya, she can be stubborn and strong-willed too.  I think it's the red hair, which she gets from me...  So probably means she gets the attitude from me too.  Actually, I KNOW she does.  I see her and I see myself when I was that age, or what I know from stories my parents have told me.



I pray her determination will be a GOOD thing for her as she grows up.  I don't want her to be a push over.  I don't want her to just follow the crowd and do what everyone else is doing.  I want her to stand her ground, be firm, and do what's right NO MATTER WHAT.



I also pray for her future husband.  Oh man does that thought scare me in so many ways.  BUT it excites me too.  I know that God has HUGE plans for this girl and is going to do some BIG things in and through Kyiah.  I am honored and humbled to be part of His plan.  I am excited to see what He's got in store and will be watching with anticipation as His story unfolds.



We're just 3 years in...
I can hardly wait to see what's next!



Except I don't want to rush things.
The days are already flying by sooooo very fast.
Means I have to capitalize on each day, making the most of the time I have with my Kyiah (and her sisters).  I want to make as many memories as possible, treasuring them in my heart for days and years to come!