Tag: Advent{ures}

Provisions and Preparations

He provided redemption for his people;
    he ordained his covenant forever—
    holy and awesome is his name. (Psalm 111:9 NIV)

 

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Every ADVENTure needs provisions. We spent the day outfitting our boat for the days ahead, as we travel the Tom Bigbee waterway down to Mobile, Alabama.

We each had our lists and tasks. I wandered the aisles of the Super Wal-mart to pick up groceries and a couple other things for the trip. Les prepared our inflatible lifeboat and made sure everything mechanical was ready to go.

Last night we tried to use our butane burner on the stovetop, but it seemed to be leaking. We thought it might be a faulty butane canister. But another attempt with a new canister still spewed gas fumes into the cabin. Thankfully we discovered this before heading out. And we were able to go buy a table top unit for cooking, which uses the butane canisters that we brought with us.

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As we prepare for our journey, it parallels my desire to prepare for Advent.

I was thinking about Zechariah again. I wondered how he was preparing for the birth of his son. In his forced silence, did he ponder what his son’s life would be like? I think he figured out that his son would not have an average life.

Did he meditate on the prophecies about the Messiah? Did he see any connection between his promised son and the one who would be sent to prepare the way of the LORD? Did he read Isaiah and Malachi? Did he know that his son was going to be the messenger?

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

Did he stop reading the first verse, or did his eye catch these questions:

But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears?

Every ADVENTure has perils and obstacles. We don’t really know what lies ahead, but we know the One who holds every moment in His sight. We know the One who can prepare us for the future.

Sometimes, I’m not sure I will be ready. But God will make me ready, just as he promised in Malachi:

For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years. (Malachi 3:1-4 NIV)

What does it look like for you to be ready?

Looks like we’re ready for the heading down the river tomorrow!

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Quests and ADVENT{ures}

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. (Micah 6:8 NIV)

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Each year as Advent approaches, I’ve come to expect some adventure with GOD. Will this be the year that Jesus comes again? Will my heart be in tune? Will I be attentive to His voice? Where will I spend Advent?

For ages, people have been asking all kinds of questions. And those seeking spiritual fulfillment, may be asking does God really care about me? Why all this fuss about a baby born in a manger? What does this mean for me?

If we search our hearts long enough, we realize we’re not always good. We make poor choices. We harbor resentment. We want to lash out at those who have hurt us and excuse our own hurtful ways.

And if we are honest, we want things to be made right. We might start asking:

What does God require of me?

As we enter the season of reflecting on why the baby was born, may the answer of the prophet Micah lead us to the one who acted justly, loved mercy and walked humbly with God.

Who was that you may ask?

That would be the grown-up Son of God: Jesus, Emmanuel, the one Sent to save us from our un-goodness.

I believe with all my heart that God loves ADVENT{ure}! And I hope you will join me, as I journey this December with questions and the retelling of the first advent of Jesus into our world.

(The posts this month will be regular, but not necessarily daily. My husband and are enjoying the great opportunity to be traveling by boat to Florida with our dog, Kokomo,  while we expirement with living on Intuition.)

What questions do you have about Jesus?

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God Rest Ye Merry

You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. (Psalm 16:11 NIV)

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Last Friday, my six year old niece and I spent the afternoon together. She loves to point out women who have “a baby in the belly.” She is very curious about the whole mystery of the how the baby arrives. So I’m not surprised that she enjoys playing with the nativity figurines, especially baby Jesus and Mary. When my sister picked her up, we noticed that Loryn had placed Mary in the manger with Jesus. After they left, I placed everyone back in their proper place.

The next day I read a devotion about Mary’s receptivity to bearing the gift of Jesus in her womb. So I put Mary back on the manger, in that vulnerable position of offering herself to God and her openness to receiving Jesus into her life as pure gift.

As I have mentioned, my journey during this Advent{ure} has been very different than past years. I find myself struggling daily to recapture the “feel” of Christmases past.  Disappointment creeps in, and depression lurks in the corner. I despair over my failure to experience the joy I know is possible this time of year.

Today, I remembered an explanation I once read about the carol, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen. I used to think that the gentleman were merry and really didn’t think about what “God rest ye” meant.

“God rest ye merry” was an old English expression which petitioned God to keep one merry or joyful. (Christopher and Melodie Lane, Christ in the Carols)

When I try to manage my moods or control the merriment of the season, I become dismayed. I lose the joy of the season. My attempts at holiday cheer fizzle out, because my heart is occupied with anxious grabbing for stuff, rather than held open for receiving. I need to climb into the manger, and be still. To let His presence fill me with joy, peace, hope and complete love.

May God keep you merry the rest of this holy season!

 

Linking with Soli Deo Gloria Party

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My Magic Wand {and Random Journal Day}

But the LORD still waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for him to help them. (Isaiah 30:18 NLT)

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Often around this time of year, you may hear me say, “I wish I had a magic wand!” Recently, to my delight and relief, I discovered that I do have a magic wand. I found it one day when I was using my journal.

The joy of keeping a journal started many years ago, when as a young teenager I needed a place to privately vent my feelings without censure. As I grew in my relationship with God, my journals became the place where I recorded my thoughts, my feelings and dialogues with God.

A journal has so many purposes, I could never describe them all in one post. But the other day I realized that my journal is my magic wand!

Here’s a glimpse into my musings that day. I started out with this thought:

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I wish I had a magic wand to get ready for the holidays…

it would clean my house

decorate for Christmas

give me plenty of time to play, to create, to share, to love myself and others

Then I wrote this confession:

I feel pressure, stress, fear of not finishing, lack of energy, overwhelmed, cluttered, shut down

On the next page, this revelation poured from my pen:

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My magic wand is spending an hour journaling, playing with mixed-media, taking a walk with our new dog, Kokomo.

My magic wand is prayer, seeking God’s presence in every moment.

Permission to pause, to read my book club book, to let the dishes sit in the sink, to leave clothes unfolded, to trust, to wait, to invite GOD to reveal His character into my life, to invite GOD to lead, energize and direct me!

Finally, I drew a magic wand in my journal with some words of affirmation:

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I have a magic wand…it helps me to do my to-do list…it gives me permission to have fun, to be creative, to play before I work; it inspires me to use what I have…to look for grace and energy from the Holy One!

Maybe you’ve never wished for a magic wand. But I invite you to pick up your pen and  some paper,  and then let God know what you wish for. Give it a try! Finish this sentence:

I wish…

Linking up with Random Journal Day

 

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Respite: A Period of Rest or Relief

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”

(Isaiah 2:3 NRSV)

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My day started early, waking before the sun. I sat down in my comfy blue chair, with my toasty warm slippers propped up on the ottoman and let my mind wander. Soon my mind filled with anxious thoughts about my “to-do” list. My energy faded just thinking about these tasks.

I started thinking that my spiritual intentions were meager, even though I wrote yesterday, right here on this blog that finding intentional ways to engage with God was important. I felt tired. So I began furiously scratching my feelings and thoughts on the page of my journal.

I poured out the interior raging of my mind on to the paper. Next thing I knew, I wrote the word RESPITE in all caps. I needed a mental pit stop. So when I saw the word RESPITE scribble itself out onto the page, I paused. I headed over to http://www.m-w.com to embark on one of my famous word adventures.

I found out that respite comes from the Latin “respectus” which means “act of looking back.” I surmised that a respite could include the act of looking back on God’s faithfulness to me in the past. He has rest and relief for me, if I will be quiet and listen.

One word leads to another, so I clicked on the “more at RESPECT” link to learn more about the origins of respite, under the respect etymology. I discovered that respite and respect hearken from “specere” (to look). Aha! To experience respite, I must look for God’s rest and relief.

My search continued, as I clicked on the link “more at SPY.” The definition of “spy” led me full circle to one of my favorite ways to engage with God and the world around me. To spy means “to see or notice.” When I practice seeking God or noticing the activity of the Holy Spirit around me, I find rest and relief.

I noticed that Isaiah readings are prominent this time of year in the liturgy of the Word. I considered that I have never really read the whole book of Isaiah, so I looked for a Bible study online. I realized that I have a commentary on my bookshelf and several study Bibles to aid me in understanding the book of Isaiah. All of a sudden, I was energized and ready to engage once again in the Advent{ure} that God had planned for me, instead of trying to shape my own devotional life. Now I was on a quest to read and understand how Isaiah fits into the big picture of the gospel. More Advent{ures} ahead!

What do you do when you need a RESPITE from your hectic life?

 

 

 

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