Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Birthday Week

It's the week of my birthday!!! YAY!!!!

I love my birthday! (I may have mentioned that last year.) Certainly I don't require gifts, but on the week of my birthday I require lots and lots of attention! Now, I have never, ever moped around because someone didn't give me enough attention. That never happens, because I don't sit around waiting to see if people remember. I don't want the burden to be on them. So I announce it daily, sometimes two or three times a day. And let me tell you.... when you announce your birthday there are always PLENTY of people willing to smile and wish you a Happy Birthday! It's like the cheery Christmas season, only IT'S ALL ABOUT ME! (uh, sorry, Jesus.)

Now before everyone thinks I doth exalt myself too high, that's not the case! God knows that I know He's the one that belongs on the throne. It's just nice to have that one time a year that people celebrate that you're here. It's nice to have so many smiles directed toward you. It's nice to feel appreciated.

So this post is dedicated to birthdays! And I'd like to tell each of you how much I appreciate the fact that you're here... but I'll have to tell you next week.

Because did I mention this week is my birthday????!!!!!!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

The Message

John 4: 49 - 53
The official pleaded, "Lord, please come now before my little boy dies." Then Jesus told him, "Go back home. Your son will live!" And the man believed what Jesus said and started home. While the man was on his way, some of his servants met him with the news that his son was alive and well. He asked them when the boy had begun to get better, and they replied, "Yesterday afternoon at one o'clock his fever suddenly disappeared!" Then the father realized that that was the very time Jesus had told him, "Your son will live." And he and his entire household believed in Jesus.

What a miraculous thing Jesus did for them. Totally life-changing. Life-saving. No doubt the parents were forever indebted to Him. And the son... I'm sure the parents told him the story over and over again of how Jesus saved his life. What an amazing testimony.

But as I was reading this passage today, the thought that came to me was, "I wonder what became of this family."

We all know how the passing of time can cause the bright light to dim a bit, the excitement to wane, the details to get fuzzy. Especially as the story reaches through the generations and becomes "Your great-great-grandfather was healed by Jesus" and even "You have an ancestor who was healed by Jesus." At that point, instead of being life-changing, it sometimes ranks as merely "interesting".

The biggest challenge for the disciples seemed to be convincing people that Jesus really was the Messiah. In contrast, most of the people I come into contact with really don't have a problem believing Jesus is the Messiah. Their biggest problem is believing it's somehow relevent to them. What happened back then is interesting. And they can see how exciting it would have been at the time. But somehow it's not very exciting now. The impact has lessened. It was just too long ago.

Now, I'm ABSOLUTELY NOT saying the message of the gospel is irrelevent. I'm just saying that for a large percentage of the people I talk to, it's not hard for them to believe Jesus is the Messiah, that He came to save us. It's just hard for them to really make that connection of what it means in their own lives. So my question is, how do we deliver the message effectively? It may have been a long, long time since He was here on earth, but Jesus is alive and well. He still cares and He's still paying close attention. He really is near, and He really will make a difference.

And that's what seems to be so hard for them to believe.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

A Handsome Fellow



Ezekiel was dedicated at church on Sunday. Can you believe they make such adorable outfits for 3 months old babies??? My friend Michelle said he doesn't even look like a baby. He looks like a short toddler. Must be the hair!
Ellie was the proud big sister... she loves her Baby 'Zekiel. Actually, it was a great moment for the whole family. Just had to share the pictures.

Monday, March 2, 2009

But it hasn't happened yet.....

My friend Terri and I were talking the other night about how much time we waste worrying about things that haven't even happened yet. The media is terrifying people with the doom and gloom of what MIGHT be ahead. What if we lose our jobs? What if this recession becomes as bad as the Great Depression? What if we lose the security we have now?

I'm not saying none of this could happen. I'm just saying there will be plenty of time to worry about it AFTER it happens... why ruin all the perfectly good days we have up until then? Who knows how many really GREAT days we have ahead! I'm all for making the most of them. PLUS... I grew up watching the Walton's. Sure, times were tough but they seemed to make it through okay. They had each other, and times were SO tough that they realized that was all they really needed.

Things could change. It could happen. But I'd like to think that we are a resilient people that can make the best of any situation. Worrying about what COULD happen is always so much worse than actually going through it. I don't know how many people I've heard say that if they had known ahead of time what they had to face they would never have thought they could make it. But once things are in motion, we find out maybe we're not as weak as we think we are. Maybe we aren't victims... maybe we're overcomers! Maybe we're about to find out that the very best days are ahead for us because we get to see what we're really made of!

Please understand I am certainly not trying to minimalize the pain some people have already gone through with losing their jobs or their homes. And I'd be lying if I said thoughts of terror didn't flit through my head from time to time when I think about the fact that if our company goes down, Leo and I BOTH lose our jobs. I understand it could happen, and I understand it could be hard. I know there is pain involved. I just have great hope that we can rise above it. I have great hope that if all we have left is a shiny dime in our pocket and a family we love, it will be enough. It doesn't have to be easy for us to find our way through. It doesn't have to be easy for us to live a great life.

I realize it's good for ratings and maybe sells more papers, but Doom & Gloom is not the place I want to live. I choose to believe that no matter what happens, we will find great things ahead.