Words from the Heart

Christmas pageants, addressing cards, office parties, shopping, baking cookies, relatives visiting, decorating the tree, meal planning, church services, work, more shopping, choir practice, school programs, movies and television specials, wrapping presents, stringing up lights, caroling, visiting friends and family, grocery shopping – just looking at the list is exhausting.

For most us, these time-consuming activities don’t begin or end with the holidays. It’s life. While the holidays may be filled with a few more parties and a few more relatives, we’ve become a society that barely has time to breathe.

The truth is that it’s hard to have clarity when there’s chaos all around us.

To begin celebrating our Savior, we don’t need anything other than God’s word and our time. Regardless of how busy we are, we can make time to focus on Jesus. You see, when we begin to do that, we've begun a relationship. That’s how we celebrate every day.

The more we seek Jesus, the more of Him there is in our lives.

“As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. Master, don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand. The Master said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it – it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.” Luke 10:38-41, The Message

Commentaries tell us that Martha worried a lot. She wanted to please and serve others – in other words, she was focused on doing. Maybe, as the oldest, she was concerned about meeting certain expectations. Rather than relax and enjoy the presence of the Master, she was fussing around and obviously frustrated that her sister wasn’t helping.

If only we could have Mary’s priorities in this Martha-like world, we’d be enjoying the presence of the Master.

Christmas blessings, Francine

Has there ever been a Christmas morning when you received that one perfect gift? It was the one thing you most wanted, never expected, and certainly didn’t deserve. But there it was, wrapped in shiny paper and topped with a magnificent bow.

Or maybe there is a memory of some grand toy – a wagon, a doll, or a bicycle – standing before the tree as twinkling lights cast a soft glow.

Remember how that felt?

In order to understand the magnitude of God’s gift of His son, it might help to understand the nature of God. Wait … I’m not going to expound on all God is. First of all, I doubt I could. Second, that’s not the point.

God’s nature is sinless. In simple terms, that means he cannot look on sin. And, that being the case, we cannot be reconciled to God because we have all sinned.

The Creator, in His infinite love and mercy, prepared the way by which we could experience His presence, both now and for eternity. You see, God’s nature requires atonement for sin. You can find the Creator’s guidelines throughout the Old Testament.

But He also knew his creation. As always, we had to put our spin on things. We put certain guidelines and regulations into the law – in other words, we complicated something simple.

God changed all that with Jesus.

And you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins, Matthew 1:21, New American Standard

Christmas Blessings, Francine

Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God, Matthew 5:8

While the teaching in this beatitude seems a lofty goal, the promise is even loftier. Some would say, “Only the pure in heart can see God.”

But I think that the blessing and the promise are intricately woven together, and the obedience of our hearts brings a continued blessing of seeing God.

Some might think this a promise only fulfilled when we come face-to-face with our Creator. I don’t.

I think, in this teaching, seeing means experiencing God’s presence.

In order to allow God to totally and completely have His way with us, regardless of the outcome, we seek Him above and beyond anything else. Through reading His word, prayer, worship, praise, and obedience, our focus is both magnified and refined. When we do this, God’s spirit will speak to us and give us new insight and revelation of His word. As we are attuned to God, it’s as if He lifts a veil and reveals new truths to our circumstances.

Have you ever read a familiar scripture and found new meaning that undeniably applies to your circumstances? I’m not talking about picking up your Bible, allowing it to open at will, and then, with eyes closed, place your finger on the page and look at the words for some revelation.

If we are pursuing God, we read His word out of only one motivation – love, rather than seeking an answer or quick fix to a situation. This is where the promise is tied to the blessing. In our obedience, God speaks.

To experience God’s presence is an awesome thing. Sometimes a pastor’s sermon will touch our spirits in such a way that we know God is speaking to us. Often times, we see God in the beauty of His creation, be it nature or through unselfish acts of love. Sometimes it’s in the darkness of heartache, when we hear God’s whispers of comfort and hope. Or maybe, through music and song, our spirits sense our Creator’s presence.

God is available to anyone who seeks Him. It’s our choice. I pray that if you don’t know Him, you will choose to accept a heavenly invitation to allow His son into your heart and life.

Endings

While many commentaries and bibles define the Beatitudes within the parameters of Matthew 5:1-12, I’ve chosen to end with verse 8. My goal has been to address those teachings that could be applied on both a spiritual and personal level as they relate to how we grow spiritually and show how we can live out that teaching. While verses 9 through 12 are not any less important, my deepest desire is that readers might receive a new insight into loving God and loving others. I believe verses 1 through 8 are a point from which to begin.

Beginnings

As to beginnings, many are focusing on Christmas. Celebrations range from mild to chaotic and from excess to naught. In the midst of tradition, seasonal hustle and bustle, and meeting others’ expectations, we too easily forget the significance of the reason for the season.

Oh, we remember the baby in the manger and the Christmas story. However, I think we too often forget that Jesus was God incarnate. Think about that.

How can we possibly incorporate the truth of Christmas into just one day? To even imply it can be done in these twenty-five days is presumptuous. The truth is, if we could but capture a glimpse of our heart-felt desire to focus on the true reason for the season every day, we might encounter Jesus rather than Santa Clause as church bells proclaim Christmas morning.

I would invite you to return each of these twenty-five days. Maybe some verse of scripture or song will touch your life. That is my prayer.

There is a most wondrous scripture with which to begin.

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

Even in the most imaginative minds, who could have known the eternal ramifications of this prophecy and promise? God’s gift would shake this world from top to bottom and irrevocably bind us to the Creator of the universe.

Blessings, Francine

It’s been a tumultuous couple of weeks for all of us as we watched Hurricane Katrina and we now await Hurricane Rita. Regardless of what was and wasn’t done and what will or won’t be done in the future, the bottom line for many is that we truly have little control over any of the storms in our lives. Mother Nature, other people, even our government will fail us. But we aren’t left alone to face adversity.

We all have plans, hopes, and dreams and we all should hold fast to them. But, times will come when we must let go of some things and look to new horizons. That can be hard to do when dark skies close in on all sides.

I know I had good intentions of picking up and continuing the commentary on the Sermon on the Mount. But, sometimes life gets in the way.

Of course, for me, it’s been a matter of trying to organize my time between finishing touches on my book and spending time with family and friends while I’m visiting in Arizona. I believe if we follow God’s lead and allow Him to balance the demands on our lives, we will find calm in the midst of the most threatening storms.

It’s not easy, but I can’t help but remember the disciples’ concerns when they were with Jesus in a boat in the throes of a sudden storm. He calmed their fears just about as easily as He calmed the wind and the rain.*

We can find assurance in that scenario because He does the same thing for us if He’s in our lives. The key is to look to Him rather than the tempest raging around us.

I hope to return to the commentaries next week. Until then, my prayers are that, in spite of the impending storms we all face, Jesus gives each of us that perfect calm. If He can control the winds and sea, He can calm our doubts and fears.

Blessings, Francine

*And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” Matthew 8:24-27, New American Standard Bible

I had a rather unpleasant experience at a home improvement store recently that left me upset and, quite honestly, angry. I’m visiting my home in Arizona for a month and planning for much-needed improvements on my permanent return in a few months. The plan was to visit some stores and get remodeling ideas. Since my husband is back in Germany, I was going to take photographs of items we hope to purchase and/or install. I’d visited one small business and decided to check out a huge chain that guarantees customer satisfaction.

I began taking photos and my daughter over heard some rather loud whispering about how customers weren’t allowed to take photos. I approached the supervisors clustered together and asked if there was a problem. I was told I wasn’t allowed to take photos. I explained what I was doing and why and was told they would need to call for approval. I asked them to do so.

As I waited, I heard a request over the PA system for security to call the Home Furnishings section. I was in the Home Furnishings section but decided I’d done nothing wrong and waited.

Ultimately, I was told I could take pictures only of specific items and would apparently need individual approval for each different type of item. It was obvious that I would get no assistance from the supervisors, and I didn’t have hours to spend. I left and immediately called the corporate offices. The person I talked to was apologetic when I told my story and impressed upon her that not only had I been treated rudely, but also that there were no signs posted telling me photography was prohibited. The explanation was that since September 11th, security measures prevented photography. Upon further conversation, I was again told I could take specific photos but there was a concern over proprietary issues.

As I thought about this later, I thought to myself … if only I’d been told.

And then I wondered how many folks might spend eternity separated from God because no one ever told them. That is the reason I do what I do. God, in His gracious mercy and love, has taught me so many things through difficult circumstances. My heart’s desire is to let others know that there is a light in the darkness of adversity.

Of course, I do know that there are times when people are told things and they refuse to listen. Yet, I wonder, do they refuse to listen or are they unequipped to follow the words they’ve heard. I think about the residents of New Orleans. They were told to evacuate. They knew Hurricane Katrina was a powerful storm. In other words, they had the information they needed. Unfortunately, for many, they didn’t have the means by which to follow the warnings to evacuate and many died.

We do have a responsibility to tell others about God’s love for them. But, we must look and see how each of us can help them fully understand. We can show them the path but sometimes, we must take their hands and walk with them.

I think of the millions of people who haven’t heard the truth of God’s words and I don’t want to stand before the Creator and hear Him say, “If only you had told them.”

Blessings, Francine