Broken Gifts with Beautiful Wrapping

During this Christmas season, we are busy with gifts.  Buying gifts, making gifts, receiving gifts.  I make chocolate-covered pretzels to share with neighbors and friends.  My dad fashions delicious sticky buns and we enjoy a perfect set of eight buns for Christmas breakfast.

Yesterday my son held two carefully-wrapped parcels of chocolate pretzels on his lap.   As I drove the car, I kept admonishing him to keep his legs still.  “Don’t drop the pretzels,” I warned.  We didn’t want to give out a gift that was broken in pieces.

In this modern world, we keep ourselves carefully, beautifully wrapped and “together.”  Yet, the very gift that God wants from us is brokenness.

“…A broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”  Psalm 51

Brokenness, too, is the daily gift that Jesus offers to us – Himself, broken for us.

“Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you.”  I Corinthians 11:24

Why does God do things so opposite of us?  Why are His ways so different from ours?  He led Abraham to begin sacrificing his beloved, miracle son on an altar.  His ways are not our ways.  What a relief when a lamb was provided instead.  But then, God  proceeded to do the very same thing.  He sacrificed His one and only beloved, miracle Son, His lamb, on a wooden, cross-shaped altar.  The Lamb of God – broken, for us.

If that wasn’t enough, He calls us to copy this sacrificial Son.  We receive His broken body in the Eucharist and in our hearts and then we are called to offer our own bodies, our own hearts, for Him to use as He chooses.  He chooses brokenness.  

Oh, how we want it to be different.  We want it easier.  We want to give a perfect package, a pretty gift, one that turns heads.  Yet we are called to be like Him:  “…despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”  Isaiah 53:3

Even these words seem broken, not quite right.  Yet, I offer them up for Him to use as He sees fit.  The same goes for my heart -- my incomplete, broken, beating heart.  He can crush it, break it, or even put a sword through it if He so chooses.  By His grace and His presence, perhaps I can say words like the Blessed Mother said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

                                             

What can I give Him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; 
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part; 
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.
  ~Christina Rosetti

Heart Fire

The crucible for silver, the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.  Proverbs 17:3

The definition for crucible is: A ceramic or metal container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures.
  
Silver is subjected to very high temperatures.  Gold is placed in a furnace.  What about the heart?  This verse implies that the heart also is tested through extreme heat, through fire.  

Lord, may my heart survive this oven of fire.  Use the heat to refine my heart and make me more beautiful.

 

Sweetening Marah's flow

A radio commercial recently was equating hard times during the holidays with being short on funds.  Yes, that can be difficult, but this also is true:  Better a dry morsel with peace and quiet, than a house full of feasting with strife. 

It is strife that makes the holidays most difficult.  Family divisions, long-held unforgiveness, grudges, even just different political and spiritual viewpoints... all these can add up to strife.  The worst of family strife is withdrawal of a loved one, estrangement, divorce;  all which leave those remaining with a debilitating ache of spirit.  This also can come from the abscence of a dear one, whether through death or distance.

And so we read the Psalms and seek comfort during this time.

Then He'll lead the way before you,
Mountains laying low;
Making deset places blossom,
Sweet'ning Marah's flow.

May your bitterness be sweetened through the kindness of God's love.  Know that you are not alone in your grief.

Evil Tidings

A friend said to me the other day, "It's like you're just waiting for the other shoe to drop."  


After having lived for a lot of years, one learns that life can be a series of catastrophic events followed by the pain of dealing with the catastrophe.  During the calm times in between these hard events, we can become fearful of the next difficult season.  Life has taught us to expect that next catastrophe.


Yet the Lord knows our fears and addresses them in the Psalms.  Stand fast, dear Christian and believe God to provide His strength and establish His purpose through the difficulties of life.


He will not be afraid of evil tidings; for his heart standeth fast, and believeth in the Lord. 
Psalm 112:7


Sovereign Lord, give me Your strength to not fear the next difficult season.  Help me to believe in You.  Amen.

Daily Bread

When we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread," are we thinking of the loaf on the kitchen counter?  There are other types of daily sustenance that we need in order to get through the day.  Jesus called himself the "Bread of Life." 


Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  Matthew 5:6


Jesus, give us Yourself daily.

Bearing Fruit

The scriptures compare us to trees.  We are called "living oaks" and "trees of righteousness."  We shall be known by our fruit - whether it is good or bad. 


What is good fruit?  Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control exhibited consistently.  In essence, unselfish behavior - doing what is best for those around us and not just prioritizing our own needs. 


What is bad fruit?  Here is a list given in II Timothy:  lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,…


You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.… Matthew 7:16-18


Heavenly Father, Please confirm our presence in your orchard by bearing good fruit within us.  Give us the discernment to notice whether good fruit or bad fruit is being borne in the trees around us.  Amen.

A Heavy Heart

When during intense suffering, there is an inner heaviness. It is as if a block of iron is placed on the heart.  Yet, a mere kind word can lighten the pressure.

Here are some things said recently to me:

You are making a wise decision.  Chin up.
It's so hard when...
Praying for you.
Do what you think is right and pray.
God can create a lot of good things out of bad things.
Love you.

Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop, but a good word maketh it glad.  [Proverbs 12:25] 

God of Love, lighten my heartache through the kindness of others.  In the same way, please allow me to be the giver of a good word today.  Amen.

A New View of Faith, Hope and Love

The last verse of I Corinthians 13 talks about faith, hope and love.  So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.  I Corinthians 13:13

When going through a difficult time, we cling to the promise that all we need is a mustard seed-size bit of faith.  That tiny bit of faith in God's promises allows us to have hope for the future, both on earth and in heaven.  True love only comes from God, and allows us to act unselfishly towards those around us, even if they are the very source of our difficulties. 

Verse:  We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father...  I Thessalonians 1:2,3

Prayer:  Lord, You do not treat us as our sins deserve, nor repay us according to our iniquities.  Grant us faith to cling to Your promises, hope for the future, and love for every soul you place before us.

Happy Mother's Day

To every loving mom on Mother's Day...

http://en.gloria.tv/?media=153401

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.  Psalm 139:4

Being Still

There are times when life is so heavy upon us that we can only sit, doing nothing.  We are not able to move.  It is these times that we pray continually that we and our loved ones would be bound to God's perfect will and we can meditate on this verse:

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.    [Psalm 46:10]

The Perfect Parent

God was the perfect parent, but did He get perfect results?  The Israelites worshipped idols, had drunken orgies and demanded a king.  Yet when they repented, God always took them back.


When we have less-than-perfect results from our parenting, we can be encouraged that we are not alone.


TV~  (Today's Verse)
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.  [Matthew 28:20]

The Secret to Walking on Water

We are walking on a rough ocean.  Sometimes the waves are about to drown us.  We will drown in our own thoughts, fears, regrets, sorrows and sins, IF we don't keep our eyes on Jesus.  When Peter kept his eyes ON Jesus, not on the waves, he WALKED ON WATER!!!!!!!!!!!

TV~   (Today's Verse)
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. [Psalm 138:7]

Good out of Bad

"God can create a lot of good things out of bad things."

That's what one of my friends said to me this morning.  She has been through some hard times, including a devastating car accident which has resulted in 20+ surgeries! 

Are there "bad things" going on in your life right now?  As you seek the Lord, look for the good things which He will create from your situation.

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And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.  [Romans 8:28]

In Gethsemene

"How many times have You enfolded me in the arms of love --- and I?

I gave You the kiss of Judas."

~The Holy Hour

Snared

II Timothy 2:26 talks about those being caught in the snare of the devil.  The verses leading up to it explain how to help rescue someone in Satan's snare.






And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel, but be kind to everyone, gentle, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition that God perhaps would grant them repentance that they may know the truth.  (II Timothy 2:24, 25)




Rescuing someone caught in the snare of Satan doesn't work by pulling in the opposite direction with all of our might through heavy persuasion, shunning, accusations, or even just giving up on them as a hopeless case.  It requires:




1.  Not being quarrelsome
2.  Kindness
3.  Gentleness
4.  Ability to teach
5.  Patience
6.  Humility






There is one way, however, in which we want to be forceful.  That is through prayer and fasting.




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And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.     [Mark 9:29]

Thinking We Deserve More

Perhaps it's the American mindset: When one works hard, good results and reward follow.  Perhaps we apply this mindset to our parenting.  Years of hard work, raising our children in the Lord, will have great results, right? 

Think about what happened with God and the Israelites.  He was the perfect parent.  After rescuing them from slavery, he led them clearly day and night and provided food for them every day.  What did God get?  Idol worship, complaining and immorality. 


TV~  (Today's Verse)
What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? [Isaiah 5:4]

Blind for Years

How many years was the man born blind waiting for that moment when the works of God were made manifest in him?  How many years did Joseph spend as a slave and in prison before he realized God's ultimate purpose for his life?


Perhaps we too have been suffering for years, not realizing that God has a specific purpose for it all.


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 I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever. [Psalm 52:8b]

Giving up Something for Lent

I gave up something for Lent this year:  sweets.  "Has it been hard?" a friend asked.  Yes, it has been hard.  I look forward to Sundays, the celebration day when I can have sweets.  Lent starts forty days before Easter, not counting Sundays.

Whenever I want something sweet,  instead of eating it, I thank Jesus for all He gave up for me.  This is a small token of my love for Him and allows me to deny myself and remember Him.

TV~  (Today's Verse)
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  [I John 3:16]

How to Love Life

Whoever desires to love life and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil  and his lips from speaking deceit;  

let him turn away from evil and do good;

let him seek peace and pursue it.
                                                         I Peter 3:10,11

Simple, yet challenging.   Six actions are necessary:

1.  Keep tongue from evil.
2.  Keep lips from speaking deceit.
3.  Turn away from evil.
4.  Do good.
5.  Seek peace.
6.  Pursue it.

 Two results:

1.  Love life.
2.  See good days.


TV~   (Today's Verse)
 

 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 
[Ecclesiastes 3:12]

St. Patrick's Breastplate

THIS is the real St. Patrick.  If you have time, look up rest of the prayer. (The above is just one part.)         "I bind unto myself today, the strong name of the Trinity....."

TV~  (Today's Verse)
To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.  [Colossians 1:27]

Sorrow: Yes. Guilt: No. Prayer: Necessary.

 

Parental Wisdom from St. Louise de Marillac

"The faults of children are not always imputed to the parents, especially when they have instructed them and given good example. Our Lord, in His wondrous Providence, allows children to break the hearts of devout fathers and mothers. Thus the decisions your children have made don't make you a
failure as a parent in God's eyes. You are entitled to feel sorrow, but not necessarily guilt. Do not cease praying for your children; God's grace can touch a hardened heart. Commend your children to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. When parents pray the Rosary,at the end of each decade they should
hold the Rosary aloft and say to her,"With these beads bind my children to your Immaculate Heart", she will attend to their souls. "
(St. Louise de Marillac)

Patroness of Social Workers
Louise de Marillac (1591-1660) helped direct the Ladies of Charity in their work of caring for the sick, the poor, and the neglected.  She set up a training center for candidates seeking to help in her work. This was the beginning of the Sisters (or Daughters, as Vincent preferred) of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. She took her vows in 1634 and attracted great numbers of candidates. She traveled all over France establishing her Sisters in hospitals, orphanages, and other institutions. By the time of her death in Paris on March 15, the Congregation had more than forty houses in France. Since then they have spread all over the world. She was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1934, and was declared Patroness of Social Workers by Pope John XXIII in 1960. Her feast day is March 15th.    (Excerpts from Wikipedia)

Cemented with Tears

The Altar

by George Herbert

A broken A L T A R, Lord, thy servant rears,

Made of a heart, and cemented with tears:

Whose parts are as thy hand did frame;

No workman’s tool hath touched the same.

                A H E A R T alone

                Is such a stone,

                As nothing but

                Thy pow'r doth cut.

                Wherefore each part

                Of my hard heart

                Meets in this frame,

                To praise thy Name;

That, if I chance to hold my peace,

These stones to praise thee may not cease.

O let thy blessed S A C R I F I C E be mine,

And sanctify this A L T A R to be thine.

Altar of Saint John the Evangelist at St. Mark's Church, Philadelphia

The Altar of Saint John the Evangelist was originally that of the Lady Chapel, and was given by Rodman Wanamaker, the son of John Wanamaker. When his wife Fernanda Henry died in 1900, he built the Lady Chapel as a memorial and she is buried in the crypt beneath it. The original furnishings of the chapel were of alabaster and carved wood, deigned by C. E. Kempe.

When Mr. Wanamaker subsequently decided to re-furnish the chapel in it present style, the altar and reredos were placed at the head of the north aisle. This altar, which is of carved alabaster, was rededicated to Saint John - now the arrangement of altars echoes the traditional grouping around the foot of the Cross with Jesus in the center and his Blessed Mother and the Beloved Disciple on the sides. The reredos is of black oak carved in Oberammergau in 1903 and then polychromed in England. It contains figures representing David, Isaiah and other Prophets of the Incarnation, as well as great theologians of the Church: Saints Ambrose, Augustine, and Anselm on the left and Saints Gregory the Great, Jerome and Bernard on the right. The carved figures of the Annunciation that are now in the Baptistery were originally in the center panels of this polyprych.

Craving Sweets

We all know the feeling of craving sweets.  Chocolate is the most notorious for this, yet oftentimes any sweet will quell the craving.

God's words are called sweet:  How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Psalm 119:103)  May it be that we crave His words as well.  They are a healthy, delicious sweet of which we can never eat too much.

TV~ (Today's Verse) 
Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. [Job 23:12]
 

Church Fruit

When we talk about the fruits of the spirit, we mean: love, joy, peace patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.  The scriptures say that we will know "them" by their fruits.  I always have taken this to mean individual people.

However, this can apply to church congregations as well.  What sort of fruit do you notice among your church congregation, as a whole?  If the fruits of the Spirit are evidenced, then it is a good "tree." 

TV~  (Today's Verse)
So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.…  [Matthew 7:18]

The Number 40

The rain fell for 40 days and 40 nights during the great flood.

Moses was on Mt. Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights.

The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.

Elijah traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

Jonah proclaimed throughout Ninevah that the city would be destroyed in 40 days.

Jesus fasted in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights, before being tempted by Satan.

The ancient Church established Lent as a period of 40 days (not counting Sundays) leading up to Easter.  It is a time for self-denial, fasting, repentance and contemplation.  One of the things I contemplate is the way that God chooses certain numbers and uses them again and again.  It is good to recognize the number 40 as one of these.

TV~   (Today's Verse)
And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.  [Acts 7:23]

God Provides Meds?

While shopping today, I happened to run into a Christian friend who is a medical doctor.  In our varied and assundry topics of conversation, we touched on the prescribing of prescription drugs for those suffering from depression.  She mentioned that, quite often, patients will say what a relief it was once they started taking anti-depressant medication.  They went from daily trying to "hold it together," to having stable emotions each day. 


I asked her, "How does that fit in with having the joy of the Lord?"  She did not have any pat answers, but said that God uses modern medicine to help people in many ways. 


TV~  (Today's Verse)
He healeth those that are broken in heart, and giveth them medicine to heal their sickness.  [Psalm 147:3]

A Minute of Care

The Lord often shows His care for us through the care of Christian friends.  Today, a friend who already was running late, took a minute to ask, "How are you doing?"  God was loving me through my friend. 

Yet, there are times when we need a friend and the question is not asked or there is nobody who takes time for us.  Even so, come Lord Jesus.

TV~  (Today's Verse)
There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.  [Proverbs 18:24]

Coercion vs. Choice

Satan will use coercion to sway us.  Our own sinful desires will coerce us, namely  the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the boastful pride of life.


God is love.  He wants us to accept his offer of Love, but he will not coerce.  He gives us a choice and will lovingly draw us. 


TV~  (Today's Verse)
Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?  [Romans 2:4]

Ashes

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent in the Western Christian calendar.  It takes place 46 days before Easter.  Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert, where he endured tempation by Satan.   

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of this 40-day liturgical period of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  Of the 46 days until Easter, six are Sundays.  Sundays are not included in the fasting period and are instead "feast" days during Lent.

Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes (formally called The Imposition of Ashes) on the foreheads of adherents as a reminder of human mortality and as a sign of mourning and repentance to God.  The ashes used are typically gathered from the burning of the palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday


Ash Wednesday is observed by many Christian denominations, including Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Anglicans, and Presbyterians, among many others.   (Adapted from Wikipedia)

TV~  (Today's Verse) 
 So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.  [Daniel 9:3]

Aliens

Our faith in Christ makes us aliens.  This world is not our dream home; it is a temporary place on the way to the mansion awaiting us.  The mansion that won't need to be dusted or repaired.  An incorruptible inheritance in every way!

TV~  (Today's Verse)
By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;…[Hebrews 11:9]

Our First Concern

Our first goal in life is to press towards the kingdom of God.

"If worldly concerns are our first focus, we will eventually resent God." ~Rt. Rev. David L. Moyer

TV~  (Today's Verse)
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. [Matthew 6:33]

Praying for Our Children

Years back, I knew a single mother with five children.  Her children were making godly, wise choices as young adults.  Someone asked her what her secret was.  She said, "It is all prayer."


I encountered this same mother recently and reminded her of her tribute to the power of prayer.  She said, "When you think you've prayed enough, pray some more." 


To be alone with God in prayer cannot be overemphasized. (Streams in the Desert)


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Pray continually.  [I Thessalonians 5:17]

One Step Enough for Me

"God never shows me the big picture.  He only shows me the next step," my closest friend said twenty years ago.  As time has progressed, I have found this to be true.
 




This is echoed in the words penned by Blessed John Henry Newman:






"Lead, Kindly Light, amidst th'encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home,
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4Dwd3hd-j4


TV~  (Today's Verse)
By day you led them with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take. [Nehemiah 9:12]