tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18155899193858584432024-03-13T13:40:52.241-07:00StoryFormedBeing formed by the story of Jesus....Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815589919385858443.post-11993194574018566582012-02-29T22:05:00.001-08:002012-02-29T22:05:16.561-08:00George Herbert Poem {Lent}<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">The Sinner</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">Lord, how I am all ague, when I seek</span></div>
<span class="f14px fntAri clr333333" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
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<span class="f14px fntAri clr333333" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"><span style="text-align: center;">What I have treasur'd in my memory!</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Since, if my soul make even with the week,</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Each seventh note by right is due to thee.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">I find there quarries of pil'd vanities,</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">But shreds of holiness, that dare not venture</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">To show their face, since cross to thy decrees:</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">There the circumference earth is, heav'n the centre.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">In so much dregs the quintessence is small:</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">The spirit and good extract of my heart</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Comes to about the many hundredth part.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Yet Lord restore thine image, hear my call:</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">And though my hard heart scarce to thee can groan,</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Remember that thou once didst write in stone.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">~George Herbert</span></div>
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Special thanks to <a href="http://anglicanprayer.wordpress.com/">Lent and Beyond</a> for posting this poem the other day.</div>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815589919385858443.post-9696332077319684532012-02-28T13:36:00.001-08:002012-02-28T13:36:12.904-08:00My French Press Life {Lent}<div style="text-align: center;">
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Everybody loves a good cup of coffee right? Except when what they want is a clear, fresh glass of water...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmjQNMLJABGvRbtAJNTw64sFXNwK6GyeE9QcRXvfB0FtN8PyZaCJSBFC-DnlEAFh34nqra1YQqELPhZguJ7ZCQUm6pQk6ven9FSXbiOjp4vlVgGNnOTU4dcnYBd3SlHaEgL0gTwO_a9U/s1600/Coffee1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmjQNMLJABGvRbtAJNTw64sFXNwK6GyeE9QcRXvfB0FtN8PyZaCJSBFC-DnlEAFh34nqra1YQqELPhZguJ7ZCQUm6pQk6ven9FSXbiOjp4vlVgGNnOTU4dcnYBd3SlHaEgL0gTwO_a9U/s640/Coffee1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sometimes my life is like this french press. There are bits and pieces of coffee floating around in the hot water - you know...my junk, my sin. In order to avoid drinking these, I slowly, with my own effort, push the plunger down. It catches all those unappetizing granules and traps them deep, deep below. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBfcI0l9ECCoVVoWnEYsCZ92_xbp0JS1piCdUJKxiRfIg61IMBAVaMEdDRRVH8UuSAg8DVrP25AlDuzVfJ0ORu8q3_hG3IIc5iypbMxuyMJ-CaDmFtLw37CTfGQOEkeCJDEBWvI0iIe8/s1600/Coffee2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBfcI0l9ECCoVVoWnEYsCZ92_xbp0JS1piCdUJKxiRfIg61IMBAVaMEdDRRVH8UuSAg8DVrP25AlDuzVfJ0ORu8q3_hG3IIc5iypbMxuyMJ-CaDmFtLw37CTfGQOEkeCJDEBWvI0iIe8/s640/Coffee2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I am pleased with myself; proud of my effort to get rid of these visible particles. After all, I have tamed and managed them through my own effort. I smile. (Actually it is more of a slightly arrogant grin.)</div>
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But then Jesus looks at me, holds out His cup and says, "Give me a glass of water."</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8tdoo2diQfuY3-fmyN5D6gB_FmULsS_YGM6mrZ_-JOW5ZaAYRGWCOw2LZGwmRT_ITosvxKxQv_24YFXoMvY16QkILf_7LoXAxIcvjVf2YsH0CAV39tK44aCd_qWtiT6MBe3ymasFj-h4/s1600/Coffee4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8tdoo2diQfuY3-fmyN5D6gB_FmULsS_YGM6mrZ_-JOW5ZaAYRGWCOw2LZGwmRT_ITosvxKxQv_24YFXoMvY16QkILf_7LoXAxIcvjVf2YsH0CAV39tK44aCd_qWtiT6MBe3ymasFj-h4/s640/Coffee4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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My brow furrows and I feel sick to my stomach. All I have to offer is a stained, black liquid. And no amount of my effort can push the brown away.</div>
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I look at Jesus holding my pot of brown - the parfait of squished junk at the bottom and a sloshy brown liquid above. I sheepishly shrug my shoulders, hang my head and whisper...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnO8gIiGIbaPdgMrzFi_ys25gv6CdjRD5NuwAvv2qhrmcGNZBCKomGemP4PWRyzx4AcF_a6fuy_XRgGRyx38wLtvuNmgL-c_8_5G_ak3eixICEA4SsQPhnX2yNuIin1ExBgpFm6hlJiwM/s1600/Coffee5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnO8gIiGIbaPdgMrzFi_ys25gv6CdjRD5NuwAvv2qhrmcGNZBCKomGemP4PWRyzx4AcF_a6fuy_XRgGRyx38wLtvuNmgL-c_8_5G_ak3eixICEA4SsQPhnX2yNuIin1ExBgpFm6hlJiwM/s640/Coffee5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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"Jesus, if You are willing, You can make me clean."</div>
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Then I look up to find Him smiling as He says, "Now you get it."</div>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815589919385858443.post-36343516071334909972012-02-25T09:50:00.000-08:002012-02-25T09:50:11.591-08:00What To Give Up? {Lent}<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOARvDupwpFdfvV1M7t4YGoQC8ne0mkteP6yvNwdQ1pbJ66RenLfARncqBoGw8_9CbkTVZR3oBrJkqvBYQTP3z-ndUTi_wMTexJs8MvX2LDJWc8wwgyqi8fWpBHtGSxvxnzlyo2Dee09Q/s1600/SF1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOARvDupwpFdfvV1M7t4YGoQC8ne0mkteP6yvNwdQ1pbJ66RenLfARncqBoGw8_9CbkTVZR3oBrJkqvBYQTP3z-ndUTi_wMTexJs8MvX2LDJWc8wwgyqi8fWpBHtGSxvxnzlyo2Dee09Q/s640/SF1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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What will your Lenten journey entail this year? What are you giving up for Lent?</div>
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I asked God what He wanted me to give up. And His answer?</div>
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Sleep - get up early for time set apart to meet with Him</div>
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and</div>
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Self-absorption - evidently this will be the primary topic of our conversations!!</div>
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<i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Beware of mirrors</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0b5394;">They lead us not to see ourselves</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0b5394;">But love ourselves</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Like poor Narcissus,</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Who, grasping at his image died.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0b5394;">They say that floating in the</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Water just above his</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Wide-eyed, silent face</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0b5394;">There was a butterfly.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Had he let it lead him into wonder,</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0b5394;">He might have loved science, not himself,</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0b5394;">And lived to cure the world of plague.</span></i></div>
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-Calvin Miller</div>
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(Requiem for Love)</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815589919385858443.post-14778487050266855892012-02-24T18:08:00.002-08:002012-02-24T18:08:41.912-08:00Lent 2012 {Lent}<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-M-BY6_uiTWjF4nHae-eemQa5minscXjVAvecplXg0oOhjWxfJ0wHbm84nQhYeHaJpILV1CKtnAiJ2vuY0vL-3YgsZ3OvNiz5TFfR0OSP7T9yKmS29WkjlTA11QDpwK2fCKwd-YMUm8/s1600/AshWednesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-M-BY6_uiTWjF4nHae-eemQa5minscXjVAvecplXg0oOhjWxfJ0wHbm84nQhYeHaJpILV1CKtnAiJ2vuY0vL-3YgsZ3OvNiz5TFfR0OSP7T9yKmS29WkjlTA11QDpwK2fCKwd-YMUm8/s640/AshWednesday.jpg" width="378" /></a></div>
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I found myself standing on a stage, in a dark room with one, single, bright, blinding light shining on me. I tried to shield my eyes from the searing light in order to see who was behind it, but of course, I knew. The words of Psalm 51 illumined so brightly - fueled by the Author's power. The light was not war, but pure, crisp, almost a tangible wall and the Holder of the spotlight was unrelenting. I stood here, at my entrance to Lent and the discomfort was unbearable.</div>
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I come from a stream of Christianity that does not observe Lent and this year I understand that much clearer. Lent is exposure; Lent is discomfort; Lent is the caught child looking down at her shoes nervously twisting her ankles, rolling back and forth from tow to heel. Lent - with its searing "caught you" light - forces that same child to turn her pockets out, exposing the junk she wishes could remain hidden.</div>
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In short, Lent exposes sin front and center....and leaves it there for a full 40 days.</div>
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There are no Hallmark cards for Lent. It is not a holy day that the rest of the world wants to co-opt. In my tradition, we believe we are sinners, but we like to move quickly to God's love and grace and much more pleasant sentiments. But I've come to believe that Lent is exactly for those same believers...who having grown lazy have begun to drift slowly away from our First Love.</div>
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But Lent is all grace and love of God because it exposes our fractional living. We live half-this and a quarter-that - mixing concoctions that work for us. Lent turns our graduated cups upside down and empties us....in order to lead us to Wholeness.</div>
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But wholeness does not come easy. It takes us being willing to remain on the dark stage in the light of Divine Interrogation for 40 days. We must not our head "yes" to the convicting words of the great Lenten Psalm 51..."Thou art justified when You speak", and "You desire truth in the inmost being". </div>
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It means being emptied, pockets shaken out, nowhere to hide and remaining in the raging love of God.</div>
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O Lord, give us the courage and stamina to make this journey! </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815589919385858443.post-3055253779867137922012-01-05T17:02:00.000-08:002012-01-05T17:02:41.957-08:00Prayer and a Picture<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d-lK0-DfRtQ/TwZHg2y0RoI/AAAAAAAAI_0/tvGqYr-VNLs/s1600/Drops2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d-lK0-DfRtQ/TwZHg2y0RoI/AAAAAAAAI_0/tvGqYr-VNLs/s640/Drops2.jpg" width="430" /></a></div>
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God of the morning winter sky</div>
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Half-cloudy, full of foreboding omens</div>
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Half-gloriously light, bathed in golden sunrise</div>
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You are God of both</div>
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{selah}</div>
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And as I stand on the precipice </div>
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Of what is called today</div>
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Enable me to follow You</div>
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In whichever direction You choose</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815589919385858443.post-15499179034132073232012-01-01T20:49:00.000-08:002012-01-01T20:49:16.439-08:00New Year Prayer by Christine Sine<div style="text-align: center;">
Saw this prayer over on <a href="http://godspace.wordpress.com/">my friend Christine's website</a>....thought I'd share it here.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KvJ99t7E5HE/TwE3Dm92DjI/AAAAAAAAI7c/AJK7pe-8KAI/s1600/Prayer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KvJ99t7E5HE/TwE3Dm92DjI/AAAAAAAAI7c/AJK7pe-8KAI/s640/Prayer.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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God may I welcome this new year without fear or regret,<br />
Secure in the certainty of your promises,<br />
May I live in anticipation of its beauty,<br />
And be prepared to embrace its challenges,<br />
May I look for your love in every moment,<br />
And listen for your voice in every sound,<br />
May I see your image in every stranger,<br />
And exalt in your glory expressed in all your creation,<br />
May I learn to live in the place of trust,<br />
Remembering always that the future is in your hands.</div>
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AMEN!!! </div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815589919385858443.post-15355846994620143482011-12-23T20:49:00.000-08:002011-12-25T07:45:09.453-08:00Christmas Eve {End of Advent}<br />
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Did you know without even realizing it,
you probably reaped the benefits of at least five hinges before you
got here this afternoon?</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9cemd6YAHl8/TvVYaoW0c8I/AAAAAAAAI5w/twaHT88iY1o/s1600/Hinge1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9cemd6YAHl8/TvVYaoW0c8I/AAAAAAAAI5w/twaHT88iY1o/s640/Hinge1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The hinge is an interesting contraption
isn't it? Two pieces of metal with the kicker being the pin that
can, and does, literally take things in a whole different direction.</div>
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Did you know we gather tonight to
celebrate the benefit of another hinge? Except it is no ordinary
hinge, but a hinge of history. Somewhere in Bethlehem, many, many
years ago, a baby's birth changed everything. The long, straight
wall of history bent.... History itself hinged and went in an
entirely different direction.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MLJNeQmnLys/TvVYj_7IzpI/AAAAAAAAI58/kgjHe5qBlRA/s1600/HInge2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MLJNeQmnLys/TvVYj_7IzpI/AAAAAAAAI58/kgjHe5qBlRA/s640/HInge2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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And the pin of this hinge of history is
a tiny little word...and a preposition at that...the word WITH. We read the
words from the first chapter of Matthew, “ All this took place to
fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin
will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him
Immanuel”- which means “God with us”.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
God WITH us. WITH is the pivot point.
WITH takes everything in a new direction.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The last candle of Advent represents
Jesus – this “God with us”. The <b>central location of the
candle among the others </b>reminds us that the “God with us” is
the pivotal point. All the other candles hinge on that center one.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Because WITH is a word of hope –
Someone now knows our deepest longings and with Him, all things are
possible.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
WITH is a word of love – because He
opens His arms and welcomes us into the family picture</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
WITH is a word of joy – because we
can see we are not alone</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
WITH is a word of peace – we know we
can rest because we are held in Strong Arms.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
WITH is a together word. It brings two
things together and allows them to go in a whole new direction.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
WITH changes everything.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The whole timeline of the planet
shifted that night. God came into the world a whole new way, in
flesh and blood, and history hinged. It was no longer <i>just</i> God or
<i>just</i> us, but God WITH us. That was good news then...and it is good
news now. And that, if we let it, can be the hinge that opens our
lives in a whole different direction.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815589919385858443.post-82109699276977191232011-12-19T08:45:00.000-08:002011-12-19T08:50:02.660-08:00Held {Advent 4)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNT5WbhEZYlObqk5RqQWccKP1_A8CYsOBLBJGYZVS9dEFxFOR-SxNTIMGqMgYs2As3RYJOs_B7pR2AwYk2SpXwQ3f7l1gz_QF8WbVb8aIiCJ29jC59gj5BLGkPz3uzGvt0IX5_pdVp130/s1600/Held.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNT5WbhEZYlObqk5RqQWccKP1_A8CYsOBLBJGYZVS9dEFxFOR-SxNTIMGqMgYs2As3RYJOs_B7pR2AwYk2SpXwQ3f7l1gz_QF8WbVb8aIiCJ29jC59gj5BLGkPz3uzGvt0IX5_pdVp130/s640/Held.jpg" height="430" width="640" border="0" /></a></div><div align="CENTER"><br /></div><div align="CENTER"><br /></div><div align="CENTER">Little ones instinctively know when they are being held, don't they? We can put them on the softest blankets,press a button to create the sound of an artificial heartbeat, even dim the lights and control the temperature. But they will still stretch and fuss, even just a little, as though we've placed them on burlap and there is no position comfortable. There are little whimpers, jerky movements with the hands and feet which startles them all the more and no amount of "shhhhhhh" and patting them on the back seems to bring peace.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER">However....scoop that same child into your arms and a magic spell is cast over them; eyes close and they fall into the most peaceful slumber imaginable. Their whole body relaxes at the touch of skin; the sound of little breaths become rhythmic and calm. Though they may be bent and folded in funky ways, defying all chiropractic knowledge, they find their perfect "sleep number" on hard working biceps. Amazing!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER">The 4<sup>th</sup> candle of Advent represent peace.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER">Peace – it is a word we throw around a lot in our world, but it means more than stopping wars or having a little peace and quiet. Peace (the kind God talks about)is a word that literally means <i>wholeness, health, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord. </i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER">See, in some ways, we havea lot to learn from little ones, because they instinctively knowparts of this peace God talks about: </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER">When they are in the arms of a parent or loved one, they know they are in right relationship.They know that in being held, the world is made right. They know,within an embrace, they can rest because there is safety and soundness in those arms.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER">And once in those arms,they give in to total trust. They don't ask where they are being taken nor worry about what is going on around them. They are not thinking about their surroundings nor are they trying to create peaceful feelings. It is not even really about them...it is about the arms that hold them. They trust the arms are strong enough to hold them and won't drop them Babies simply knows they are in arms who will take care of them..and can rest peacefully in that.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER">Before they even totally understand who we are, they identify totally with the arms that hold them. They know that alone they are only a fraction and when lifted into the arms of one bigger than them, they are some how made whole. They do not have to worry there...they do not need to be fearful.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER">See, this is a picture of Shalom - Peace. I think God longs to scoop us up and hold us in His strong arms and all the things we see in babies are true for us in God's embrace. We knew it instinctively once as a baby and somewhere, to our detriment, we outgrew it. To learn to rest and trust in the embrace of God may be the toughest "developmental milestone" we adults need to move towards....but it is what we are made for. Babies know it, we need to learn it. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER"> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER"><i>Perhaps we would do well to remember this picture this week and let's all practice giving in to the embrace of God. In our agitation and fear, it is my hope we'll remember this picture, and know we are scooped up and held securely. And as He picks us up in our frenzy, may we feel our bodies relax and go limp with complete trust. And may we, this last week of Advent, experience this Shalom-peace of God.</i></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815589919385858443.post-60779402668525611602011-12-12T09:27:00.000-08:002011-12-12T09:29:14.437-08:00What Do You See? {Advent 3}<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
When you look at a glass half filled with water, what do
you see? Do you see the glass half-empty or the glass half-full?
You don't have to answer out loud, but what is your normal
inclination? We all have one, right?...not just to this, but to most
things. Our normal answer to things – the way we see.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
But maybe there is another way to look
at it all together....</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuvDbJE_sbYBImEA3mGL4_36ieMhue8HWgVzJl2fi73IWm51B6zR6eDOjfKLcXiG3xd9L-Pdtqt8txXi0GbuAyvyDmvi0Nd0KE-RX8f0u_Z8yZPzJZz4kPmY4wYSuulMrUawzDvCg0cI/s1600/Joy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuvDbJE_sbYBImEA3mGL4_36ieMhue8HWgVzJl2fi73IWm51B6zR6eDOjfKLcXiG3xd9L-Pdtqt8txXi0GbuAyvyDmvi0Nd0KE-RX8f0u_Z8yZPzJZz4kPmY4wYSuulMrUawzDvCg0cI/s640/Joy1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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This is what happens when we leave
our normal and change the way we “see”. Changing our perspective
changes everything, doesn't it?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The third candle of Advent represents
JOY! Our world is not really full of this quality...watch the news,
see the struggles, and hear the conversations. I think we lack so
much joy in our world because we live in the closed in world of
“normal” answers instead of opening our eyes
to see a new perspective. Jesus tells us...</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Your eyes are windows into your
body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body
fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and
distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your
windows, what a dark life you will have. (Matthew 6:22-23)</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I think Jesus knew that Joy is always
a function of amazement, and amazement is always a function of
perspective. If we are going to live in joy we are going to have to
change the way we SEE!!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktIBtGhnNKCEfXKpw4ThKx1TLxbkd12D9jcVldpJhuBwEeR8qKA-2DX0cS6OHVVHQeVihUDoy88jvAAqKB17Hr17vCBXcwK6Wua38DZgem0SQFY1G7Mx2GpRpEcCEh2eoTuTaZY0G8zI/s1600/Joy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktIBtGhnNKCEfXKpw4ThKx1TLxbkd12D9jcVldpJhuBwEeR8qKA-2DX0cS6OHVVHQeVihUDoy88jvAAqKB17Hr17vCBXcwK6Wua38DZgem0SQFY1G7Mx2GpRpEcCEh2eoTuTaZY0G8zI/s640/Joy2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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But isn't that the Christmas story? </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Zacharias – is amazed at the message
of a baby going to be born to him and Elizabeth in their old age. In fact, the angel tell him, regarding his son, “you will have joy and gladness and many will rejoice
at his birth”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Elizabeth – is amazed to see Mary coming to visit her, so much so that she tells us "the baby leaped in my womb for Joy" </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Mary – is amazed to see what God is
doing around her and in her and she gives us that joyful monologue, the Magnificat</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Shepherds – are so amazed at the
pronouncement of the good news of a great joy which was for all
people that they left everything and ran to see if it was true</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Wise Men – rejoiced exceedingly with
great joy when they saw His star</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Simeon and Anna – are filled with amazement and great
joy that they were allowed to see this Child</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And the common thread among all these? Each person chose to see differently...their perspective was changed. They
left their “normal” answers behind to really see what God was
doing. Their perspective changed, and they entered into amazement,
and amazement grew into JOY! In fact the only person I can find in
the Christmas story who does not respond with Joy is Herod....he
maintained his "normal" perspective.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So how do we – like all these –
practice Joy this week? Like them, maybe we need to see differently
and leave normal behind. But remember..<i>Joy is always a function of amazement, and
amazement is always a function of perspective. If we are going to
live in joy we are going to have to change the way we SEE!!</i>.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So let's keep a list this week of all the events, people, things, and situations that amaze us. They can be really big, or really, really small, but either way, let's
open our eyes, let's change our perspective, let's be amazed, and may
we watch all this make room for joy to grow.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815589919385858443.post-2968464026906434562011-12-03T21:47:00.001-08:002011-12-03T21:57:29.332-08:00Awkward Family Pictures - Advent 2<br />
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I got my first Christmas
card this week...Do you ever notice how the photo Christmas cards we
receive always portray everyone color coordinated, smiling, and
beautiful? We like to be sure we look cleaned up before we send a
picture out for everyone to see, right? Of course, I understand, we are not super thrilled to
send awkward or embarrassing photos of ourselves to our friends and
family...</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Here are just a few photos
you probably won't be receiving this year:</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
(Taken from <a href="http://www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com/">www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com</a>) </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUUQa4CPEelmfOazrEl9r_2p3W8l4-z63h4ILsXuJmsZsIswPcnsghI9_pv6-5jaOK84tMoOkrEorVbrS4dF7nFMpGv1fyWqHwKf614jpzyY16hGsU0xJvdDMtaBVhMVMfUBZb13bqeY/s1600/AFP1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUUQa4CPEelmfOazrEl9r_2p3W8l4-z63h4ILsXuJmsZsIswPcnsghI9_pv6-5jaOK84tMoOkrEorVbrS4dF7nFMpGv1fyWqHwKf614jpzyY16hGsU0xJvdDMtaBVhMVMfUBZb13bqeY/s640/AFP1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVP0XbtgoWVoXXw7-7K_6FT7Oj1NGvdVEW1pIiE772REjg2NqOj_dzRyFM5pZjSiG-TSR0bDPKLZZ7pruIwMWxNJRtXPzjMT1CJy6DuRgOB4E_8GhIs6OrW_6ukYYYyIcgr55MJQUtZTA/s1600/AFP2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVP0XbtgoWVoXXw7-7K_6FT7Oj1NGvdVEW1pIiE772REjg2NqOj_dzRyFM5pZjSiG-TSR0bDPKLZZ7pruIwMWxNJRtXPzjMT1CJy6DuRgOB4E_8GhIs6OrW_6ukYYYyIcgr55MJQUtZTA/s640/AFP2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbXgsNNpLu5Tt6-Eb1IH6Yk5CmzNKjxCHfm2vy2XYKWXlXnbLg3XgQQIJP_8rTRC7Uygjtni06sJv43GiJfRUs79qQs1IT9U2v9h_fmo0vmnMWekDN6rT2-M7k4OVZck8cwhr3ukRssc/s1600/AFP6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbXgsNNpLu5Tt6-Eb1IH6Yk5CmzNKjxCHfm2vy2XYKWXlXnbLg3XgQQIJP_8rTRC7Uygjtni06sJv43GiJfRUs79qQs1IT9U2v9h_fmo0vmnMWekDN6rT2-M7k4OVZck8cwhr3ukRssc/s640/AFP6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And then there is this
one...</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xI6k650d2KoJjhfeaMvrSTHZOPDZL_2cwLQzvJ34l7ltGi27DzvdSNgDEgAV-LoiKWeq0FH3z5riyWLnZT_f7Z3q-IMdAlErIUDEq3jqgW2qUHcxDxw7OI3i8KQa7AI8k75zKUY5ar0/s1600/Nativity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xI6k650d2KoJjhfeaMvrSTHZOPDZL_2cwLQzvJ34l7ltGi27DzvdSNgDEgAV-LoiKWeq0FH3z5riyWLnZT_f7Z3q-IMdAlErIUDEq3jqgW2qUHcxDxw7OI3i8KQa7AI8k75zKUY5ar0/s640/Nativity.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Maybe it doesn't LOOK like an awkward family photo
because we often do a good job at “cleaning it up”. But let's
think about this...</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Mary </b>– a teenage
girl who claims she has been talking to angels and is telling
everyone she is pregnant because of God.</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Joseph</b> – perhaps
the most normal of the bunch but claims to have received messages in
dreams and continues to hang out with that “crazy” girl, Mary.</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Shepherds</b> – who
probably look less like what we see here and more like one of the
guys off The Deadliest Catch – dirty, smelly, and pretty rough
around the edges</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Wise Men</b> – who,
whether or not they were there on the exact night, are some
combination of Eastern religious guys and astrologers (which wasn't
really looked favorably upon)</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Add the ADD </b>addition
to the picture in the form of the angels – who are loud, getting up
in everyone's face, singing, emitting intense light, and declaring
proclamations at the top of their lungs.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And the crazy thing is
that this is the family picture God has chosen...and He doesn't try
to clean it up! While we might not want any of these people at our
next family reunion, God is not embarrassed by any of them!</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The 2<sup>nd</sup> candle
of Advent represents Love. I think of the verse we all probably know
so well:</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>For God so loved the
world that he sent His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should
not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)</i></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
But let's look at that
verse in light of our awkward family photo....</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“For God so loved Mary
and Joseph that He sent His Son, to invite them into the family
picture”</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
For God so loved those messy, rough shepherds that He sent His Son, to invite them into the family
picture</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
For God so loved some spazmo angels that He sent His Son, and invited them into the family
picture</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
For God so loved even those star-reading foreigners that He sent His Son, to invite them into the family
picture</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And if we listen closely,
I think we can hear the Spirit say to us...”For God so loved you
that He sent His Son, to invite you into the family picture."</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And the great thing is
this family picture – God's family picture – is that it is not
about the crazy, messy, bewildered, doubting, foreign, broken, spazmo
people. <b> It is a picture of His enormous love</b>. And God is not
embarrassed! Without any cleaning up, we all get invited into the
picture!</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you are up for it, this
week we can practice Advent again in one of two ways...</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you have a cell phone, take a not-so-flattering picture of yourself and save it as your wallpaper this week. Every time you use your phone and see it, let it remind you of God's great love for you no matter what you look like! </div>
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Or...each time you pass a photograph in your home, or receive a photo Christmas card in the mail, let it stop you and may you hear God's
invitation to us, “I love you! I am not embarrassed of what you
look like...welcome to the family picture!”</div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1815589919385858443.post-76545382385437291922011-11-25T15:32:00.001-08:002011-11-25T15:37:56.912-08:00Follow the Clue {Advent 1}<br />
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As our son was watching the History channel the other
day, I heard a story , an ancient myth really, of a guy who was
sentenced to be thrown into an unescapeable labyrinth. A
maze made up of such twists and turns that even the designer had a
difficult time finding his way out. No one had ever come out of
the labyrinth. It was an impossible feat. However, the man who
was sent into the labyrinth though was secretly given a gift of a
ball of thread in order to find his way out again. And this
ball of string was called a “clue”. He was literally given a
clue to find his way out! He was to attach it to the door of the
labyrinth after he was closed in, and after all his wandering, he
could follow it back to the beginning.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH7qyPouuQNp9FZrxuPe50Jp7S6QExHOOn67TqW7-pc-8OpHK7fo3ON8MSRGZbvnzvESSCxK99U4uXOkWs8uYG6RSyDmvC5RSTTXZlGNsmirx9CRY6rxI7mOQjeMroEnsM7uGnnhCBZu0/s400/Advent1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH7qyPouuQNp9FZrxuPe50Jp7S6QExHOOn67TqW7-pc-8OpHK7fo3ON8MSRGZbvnzvESSCxK99U4uXOkWs8uYG6RSyDmvC5RSTTXZlGNsmirx9CRY6rxI7mOQjeMroEnsM7uGnnhCBZu0/s640/Advent1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In some ways, Advent is like that for me. I
often find myself stuck in the endless labyrinth of life, the holiday
season, busyness, buying, parties, messiness, and just the chaos of
everyday. But Advent, like that ball of twine – like that
clue - tugs at me and draws me out. It leads me back to the
beginning of a story I stake my life on. It is a clue that
leads me back to the door of an obscure stable somewhere in Bethlehem
where God did impossible things. It leads me back to the hope
that God is still in the business of doing impossible things on this
planet!
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The first candle of Advent we light is the candle of
Hope. We follow the "clue" and we see the hope the
Israelites had for a Messiah to come.</div>
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Is. 9:1-7</div>
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The people who walk in darkness <br />
Will see a
great light; <br />
Those who live in a dark land, <br />
The light will
shine on them. <br />
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For a child will be born to us, a son will be
given to us; <br />
And the government will rest on His shoulders; <br />
And
His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, <br />
Eternal
Father, Prince of Peace. <br />
There will be no end to the increase of
<i>His</i> government or of peace, <br />
On the throne of David and
over his kingdom, <br />
To establish it and to uphold it with justice
and righteousness <br />
From then on and forevermore. <br />
The zeal of
the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.
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Advent...at least this week...is a CLUE for us – to
lead us back and to remind us not to lose hope. That God will do
what He says He will do. To remind us that God is still in the
business of showing up...and we can place our hope in Him.</div>
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So...would you practice Advent with me this week? But you need to find a piece of string, please . Maybe you feel a bit like the guy
thrown in the labyrinth.... well, this (the piece of string) is your clue. Would you
tie it to your keychain or a necklace, or the steering wheel of your
car or your finger or someplace you will see it often....and when you
do see it this week would you let it be the "clue" that
leads you? Would you let it lead you, in that moment, back to
hope in God to do the impossible again this week?</div>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0