Loved By The Father

This Christmas, I'm not thinking so much about gifts or dinner. Instead, I'm a little overwhelmed at the thought of the Messianic prophecy. God is a promise keeper.       Maybe Christmas should be a verb. And instead of being a memory, it should be an invitation to encounter God and get to know Him.       Maybe Christmas is a challenge. God challenges us to move in ways that glorify and exemplify the very reason for this holiday. Jesus' birth challenges us to have the courage to be joyful without turning a blind eye to the pain of the world. The need for salvation challenges us to be forgiving, merciful, and gracious with one another in spite of our shortcomings. God's great sacrifice challenges us to give without having second thoughts or doubts even though some may not be grateful or in our case, repentant. Jesus challenges us to acknowledge and meditate on God's great love for us while accepting the fact that we are not the center of t...

Yes. I hear you.  Why is no one listening to me? I am. Don't you hear me?  Why does it seem like I;m always on my own? You're never on your own. I'm still with you.  Well, yes. I hear YOU, but I want to hear more than you. I want them, too. I want to be hear- You are being heard. Sure, bu- Am I not enough?  What-  I'm the only one who is  always  with you, listening and watching, and I'm the only one who is never enough.  And if they never hear you? What if they never pay you any mind? Will I ever be enough for you?  Yeah, bu- Yes or no.  I know I should say yes, but at this point I don't know. YOU told me to do this and say that and I'm doing it, but it doesn't seem to get through to anyone. People don't listen to me or pay attention to mess, so WHAT. IS. THE POINT?! They won't hear you until you become content with my hearing you.  But I feel like I'm alone, shouting from within a well and no one c...

I'll start a new diet in the new year . I'll start reading the Bible . I'll go to church every Sunday. I'll start exercising .      Have you ever asked yourself why we wait until the new year to make improvements to ourselves? What is it about January 1st that makes it more worthy of my efforts than December 4th?      What is it about the top of the hour that makes more sense to begin studying or cooking? Why not 7:36?      Sure, everything has its appropriate time. Super-saints stay seated, please.      The other day, I thought to myself I'v e got to get back on track with eating healthy and exercising in the new year . The next thought was,  why wait ? Thank you, Holy Spirit! I have the means and know-how to begin today, so why put it off?      So often, in the church, we hear 'God's got 22 days to move/show up and show out/make it happen.' Whaaat? What if God's already mov...

     Friday evening,  I performed with an orchestra and a drama workshop, Mendelssohn's A Midsummernights Dream. As requested by a friend, I used Facebook Live to stream parts of the experience. During the intermission, I streamed a group (about 10 of the orchestra players) discussion about how the show was going so far. Long story made short, some pretty awful things were said about sections in the orchestra by myself and others. Though I'm not friends on Facebook with those players, I wanted to offer a public apology. I said some things and even engaged in a conversation that I'm not proud of.      I realize that though I might not have made most of the disparaging remarks, I engaged them and that that's just as bad. I realize that while some of the remarks might have been made objectively, my tone and intent were not honorable and loving and therefore were unbecoming of a [music] educator. I realize that even though I know plenty of educ...

Just what are we teaching young women in AND out of the church?!           Obviously (or maybe not), the title is an exaggeration, but... you get the picture. It seems the current narrative on setting and explaining an example of model marriage for YW (via social media, conferences that shall remain nameless, books, etc.) is built on one simple idea. 'If you want have a successful marriage (because what else in life could/would/should you possibly aspire to), then you must be willing to accept any and all non-physical misuse and abuse until your husband decides/gets good and gosh darn ready to treat you like the "kings" do in internet memes (you know, with decency; consideration; love; and kindness.) Here's my question: where the heck did this made-up idea come from? Actually, that isn't my only question. Here's a better one: WHAT'S THE BIBLICAL BASIS FOR THIS STEPFORD NIGHTMARE?      You should know, going forward, that I W...

"Whatever is inside of you, no matter how you try to hide it, will eventually come out." My pastor said this today during the message and it hit my heart. Hard. I never realized how angry I've been until I sat there, taking inventory of what's inside of me: anger and resentment. First, denial. 'That's not me... Is it?' I wondered if maybe I was just imagining things or taking something personal that wasn't. 'Nah, that's not me.' My mind is so fickle and I realize now how much work I need to do to get my mind more focused on God. Why? As soon as a self-assessment began in my mind, an egotistical something up there shut it down. It started tallying all the times I've prayed for people, showed up for people when no one else did, communicated when no one else did, set good examples, taught, sang, danced, and everything else. This tallying was supposed to convince me that I couldn't possibly be angry and resentful. '...

1. Drop the "what can they/it do for me?" attitude.           Seriously, maybe Kennedy hit the mark on that one. We're so concerned about our own benefit that we sometimes forget about our calling: service. Our serving the community unto God may not always directly and/or immediately benefit us. But if our ultimate goal is to please God (and selfless service in His name according to His purpose DOES please the Father), our attitude should take a pretty sharp turn at salvation by grace through faith, family. Benefits me turns into benefits God and shows people His perfect love and plan for them. 2. What's so wrong with initiating dialogue or positive connections and reconciliation?      We're quick to say "be the bigger person" to children, but we hate leading by example. What will it hurt to be the bigger person in real life? What might suffer if you start the dialogue and call a truce or apologize first? Easy. Your pride. ...