Live For Christ

But Daniel made up his mind that he would NOT defile himself with the kings choice food or with the wine which he drank. Daniel 1:8

Dear Women Who Are Praying,

Perhaps you’re in a situation you’re not happy or content with.  If you’re a military wife, your spouse may be deployed during the holidays and now all your plans for a joyous occasion has changed.  Maybe it’s your marriage, it’s full of arguments and discord and you can’t see any resolution in sight.  Some of us may have major health issues, we’re weary and we want our old lifestyle back, but it’s not to be.  Perhaps you’re conflicted with what the world is enticing you with and what you know in your heart that God wants and requires of you.  I could go on with many scenarios but you get the picture.  How can I live according to God’s World?

Looking at Daniel 1, he too was thrown and confronted with a way of life that conflicted with what he knew God expected of him.  He was put in an environment that required him to make a choice.  He probably felt fear and discontent facing all sorts of uncertainties.  But he PURPOSED to follow all he knew of God.

We have to remember the world we live in is not our home.  But while we are here, we have to make a difference and show the world our devotion to God.  Show the world how HE wants us to respond to every situation.  It takes resolve, purposing in our hearts and minds not to choose the way of the world.  In Daniels time, he was surrounded with the same temptations we are faced with today.  Yet by his example, he shows us how to respond when we are faced and put in situations where we want to follow our flesh to take over.

God says in Matthew 7:14, the gate to His kingdom is narrow, but not impossible.  He tells us in Matthew 11:30 “For my yoke is EASY and my burden is light”.  As you reflect on the gift of His birth, remember His way is not impossible and His yoke is easy and light. Will you choose joy, contentment, resolve and lean into Him for the strength.  I know I need to be reminded of this daily. Pray this for the gifts of the women at the bottom of this page.

What we are going through is nothing new than those experienced in the Bible. Maybe our clothes and hairstyles have changed; we have more conveniences.  We don’t have to bake our bread daily or skin the goat!  But the temptations, the trials, the disappointments are still the same. If you want to read about others who purposed in their heart when facing difficult situations check out: Joseph (Gen.39: 41); David (1Sam: 17); Esther (Esther 4); Peter & John (Acts 4:13-31) just a few.

My Christmas gift to you is to Live For Christ!  He never disappoints. 

Merry Christmas, Sharon

Soul Rest

~SOUL REST~

This is what the LORD says:

“Stop at the crossroads and look around.

Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.

Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls..."

Jeremiah 6:16

Hey Girls,

Crossroads! Decisions! Which way to go?

What's the first thing you do when faced with a driving challenge? Even though the gal in the above clip art is walking, it’s a great visual to see she’s faced with different pathways right in front of her. Wondering which pathway to take. What road is the best route? And if you’re anything like me, which one is the quickest way, too! Back in the olden days, I remember my Dad taking out his trusted map to seek out the best route. We were traveling from California to West Virginia. There were many different roadways to choose from. So he would take his big black highlighter, and mark out directly on the map, the road we were to follow. This way there was no confusion while we were driving. It always brought clarity and vision to his mind regarding our direction.

 I was never one to learn how to read a map, but I absolutely love my GPS! His British voice is calming to me and he’s usually easy to follow. When I type in the address of my destination, He generally tells me the best pathway to travel. Although sometimes I do miss a turn here or there and end up re-routing over and over again! But all in all, when I choose to follow the directions given by my GPS leading me, instead of freaking out and being in a panic… I can relax! Let my GPS take the lead. 

Life has its own daily challenges, decisions and crossroads. At times, we wonder which pathway is the one we’re suppose to travel down. The panic mode is in full gear when we fret and worry needlessly about making the right course of action. I’ve been down that roadway many times. Being anxious and tossing back and forth over decisions you need to make can leave you emotionally tired and rundown. Don’t be tempted to look for a new way to gain insight and wisdom. The olden way is still and will always be the best way. The Word of God is a light to your path and the Holy Spirit within is your personal, Divine GPS. And He never makes a mistake!

He has all the knowledge and wisdom you’ll ever need and also the power to bring about your circumstances together for good. God, our ultimate GPS, is always on target showing you and leading you externally with the lamp of His Word and internally with the Holy Spirit. Are you seeking direction and clarity in your life? Open-up God’s Word and pray. You can ask for wisdom from above. Maybe you don’t know what to pray for. I have been reminded in Hebrews 7:25, that Jesus lives to make intercession for you and me daily! How incredible is that? He knows exactly what to pray. Find SOUL REST today by listening and following God's voice. Let Him take the lead. When anxious thoughts try to overwhelm you, ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and find REST for your soul.

God bless you, Karen

The Lord Goes Before You

My Dear Sisters in the Lord:

“The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you, He will be with you. He will not forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. “  Deut. 31:8

I believe if we read the above scripture every morning and obeyed it, we would see wonderful fruit in our lives.  We would start our days looking forward with great expectation to where God will use us; who He will place before us to encourage, minister to or share the gospel.  We would have no more dreadful Mondays or trials and circumstances thrown at us where we first fret and worry. But the key here is to believe His Word and take action!

I was just sent to the ER again.  I was dreading it - yes dreading the IV’s.  They poked me several times before they finally got one in.  Then they came back and said they needed a second IV to put some special medication in for a scan. This time they sent in their “best” IV nurse.  I prayed silently, no luck.  Then one more try but this time I prayed out loud for her.  Fear left me and the IV went in!  Pain medication was administered in the other IV but still the pain persisted except when Daniel my male nurse came in and out of my mouth comes “Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?”  He responded “yes”.  Then I said, “Well I’m in good hands”.  When I brought in Jesus the pain went away.  As soon as he walked out the pain came back.  Is this my ministry field?  I hear, “be strong and courageous”.

There is so much more, but not enough space, to share with all of you about this visit to the ER, and how God, Almighty God, showed up.  I will leave you with this about Daniel.  I told him I could tell he was a believer, he said “how”.  I told him I could see Jesus’ attributes in him.  Jesus’ kindness, gentleness, compassion, goodness.  He stopped and thanked me.  He said he needed to hear that.  See he was feeling very discouraged.  I told him God was well pleased with him because he was lovingly taking care of the most vulnerable of his people.

So this month, as we get caught up with costumes, candy and Halloween, let’s remember who goes before you and fills you with courage and will not forsake you.  Step out in boldness.

I love you all,

sharon

The Great Exchange

Hey Girls!

“Now I will take the load from your shoulders, I will free your hands from their heavy tasks.” Psalm 81:6

Asaph, who was David’s chief musician, wrote Psalm 81. In context this Psalm is referring to the time in history when the children of Israel were facing a ‘no water’ situation. This was the second time of encountering no water in the middle of the desert. Both times, the people complained and murmured to Moses about the problem of being thirsty. In fact, the problem was so bad this second time of having no water that the people were about to stone Moses to death! They blamed Moses for taking them out of Egypt and thought it was his fault they were facing these problems. They had absolutely no idea that these ‘no water’ situations were tests from God. They found themselves complaining and rehearsing along the wilderness journey how much better it was when they were in bondage. At least they had water to drink…

Granted, the children of Israel had very HIGH EXPECTATIONS because of their recent miraculous delivery from Pharaoh. They saw the mighty hand of God as they crossed the Red Sea on dry land. You would think that would be all the proof they’d need to believe God for the journey ahead and any other difficulty they might encounter along the way. After all…Moses was taking them to the Promised Land, “a land flowing with milk and honey”. The expectation seems logical to me. You would expect milk and honey along the way, NOT a  ‘no water’ kind of situation - 2 times! 

This verse spoke to me for many reasons. The principle God was trying to impress upon His children after delivering them from bondage was simple: #cometoJesus. A simple basic lesson to learn! Come to Jesus and He will be there to help you.  

I recall years ago when my grandson, Steel, was only one year old. It wasn’t that long ago that He was completely dependent upon me when I was watching him for the day. He cried and I would change him. When he was hungry I would feed him food. And when he would get restless and bored, I would take him outside to change his setting. All the while, Steel was learning that while he was at Nana’s house, she would take care of all his needs!  

In the same way, Jesus was trying to teach His children to depend on His help for everything. The ‘no water’ situations of life are tests of faith for us to encounter the presence of God in our lives #hurricanelane. How many times do I encounter a ‘no water’ situation and find myself fretting and complaining, rather than crying out to God to supply whatever it is I need? Lord, forgive me…When I cry out to God in prayer, that’s when I experience first hand “The Great Exchange!” He exchanges my being anxious for His wonderful peace. He takes away the burden of guilt and cleanses my mind from regrets of the past. He can take my sad times and use them for His good and His glory, when I let go of my plans and surrender it all to Him. 

You and I can SOAR like eagles above the difficult situations of life. When I give Jesus my burdens He always lightens my load. Its not that the burden or concern magically goes away. The difference is that when I take the concern, that ‘no water’ situation to God in prayer – I’m yoked with Him.  “ Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matt. 11:28-29 What HIGH EXPECTATIONS do you have in your walk with the Lord today? What “no water” situations are you facing? Give it to Jesus and experience “The Great Exchange”!

God bless your day, Karen

Love For The Brethren

“When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven”  Nehemiah 1:4

Dear Women Who Serve:

I love the book of Nehemiah because I admire the main character, Nehemiah himself.  When I look at him I see loyalty, love for the brethren, compassion, determination and some one who is very organized (a trait I love!).  He also has a reverence for God, and he takes everything to Him in prayer. Nehemiah hears of a problem with the brethren in Jerusalem and he gets right on it.  He asks God for guidance and then formulates a plan.  He is devoted to the brethren and so he fasts, weeps, and prays for them.

He takes his responsibility for meeting the needs of the brethren very seriously.  Part of our responsibility as a believer is to do the same as Nehemiah.  We are to grieve and mourn when a believer is in trouble or in sin.  We should try to meet the needs of the brethren, taking every need to God to see what He requires of us.  We should adopt the same response Nehemiah had; petition God and fast for them.  Sincerely caring for each one.

Recently my mom passed away, she was 91 years old.  We thought that there would hardly be anyone at her funeral, but we were pleasantly surprised.  There was probably 150 people attending.  They came for us, to tell us a story of our mom or those who didn’t know her were there to comfort her children.  Helping the brethren.  Their gestures of comfort brought so much joy to us; one hug after another, one caring remark, a smile.  It was so uplifting. These people were doing what Jesus said, “take care of the brethren”.

Do you take extra time to look around for needs within the body of Christ? When you hear of a need, do you petition the Lord like Nehemiah and allow God to guide you?  Or do you say, like I have, “I’ll pray for you” and then it slips from your mind and you fail to do the one thing you said you would for them?

With my recent illness I have had many sisters & brothers in Christ praying for me, caring like Nehemiah.  But I have also experienced many people making statements like “I will come to visit you” and then they never come.  Some have even put a date and time and then not show up. It happens more times than you think.  We need to be reminded of Matthew 7:12 “In everything treat people the same way you want them to treat you for this is the law and the prophets”.  Or Matthew 5:37; “But let your statement be, yes, yes or no, no; anything beyond these is of evil “. Two scriptures Nehemiah lived by.  He saw the need, the distress.  He put his own needs aside and helped the brethren. He had a plan, he took it to God. He went forth a man with a plan - making his yes a yes and a no a no.

Let us do good.  Let us, like Nehemiah focus on others needs, and as Pastor Mike reminded us “put away the idols that stop us from lifting up the brethren." Let your yes be a yes!  Let us be women of our word.  Let us have eyes and hearts like Jesus.  I know my illness and my mothers death has made me want to look deeper into others lives, not just my family, but the family of God.

Let us be….
sharon

Live Your Life In Full Bloom

Hey Praying Gals!

“Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”  ~1 Cor.15:58

BE STEADFAST, IMMOVABLE! I don’t know about you, but the trials I’m experiencing now seem to be harder and longer and tougher than ever before. I think it’s because the enemy knows it will take a whole lot more to shake me than it used to! BUT GOD, on the other hand, knows that same trial is for my good and for my growth in Him. He allows the shaking and the sifting in our lives to purify our faith and gives us the opportunity to live it out! Well…there has been a whole lot of shaking going on! Are you being sifted? 

I’m reminded of Jesus’ words to Peter when He predicted that Peter would deny Him. And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren,” Luke 22:31-32.

Ever wonder if God really cares about you when the pressures on, or when you have blown it for the umpteenth time and ready to give up and quit? Think of how Peter must have felt after denying Jesus three times… Isn’t it ‘good news’ to know that Jesus is praying for you? Your heavenly Father is not looking the other way when you’re in the midst of a sifting storm. He’s cheering you onward to be steadfast and immovable in your faith. He wants to see us make it! And remember that Satan must seek permission to launch his sifting process on the children of God. Nothing is allowed without God’s consent. Our God knows what He’s doing when He allows the sifting to occur and His eternal purposes are for our good and His glory! Let’s be encouraged to press on in faith and strengthen our spiritual muscles.

ALWAYS ABOUNDING: means to increase, to excel, to overflow. Abounding is used for a flower going from bud to full bloom. I love the picture of the pink rose; so beautiful you can almost smell the perfume! In May, I was given a dozen white roses for my birthday. They were so beautiful! I especially loved to watch the tiny buds open up and yield their full beauty. But, sometimes a few of the roses never open up to their full bloom. Have you ever gotten roses like that? It can seem like a waste of a rose - - so much more to behold and experience in FULL bloom… plus they give much more fragrance, too! 

FULL BLOOM – is a life lived out for the purpose God had intended for the rose. In the same way, God has a plan and a purpose intended for each of our lives.  Not a closed bud but in full bloom. Reminds me of my husband’s license plate, Psalm 20:4, “May He grant you according to your hearts desire, and fulfill ALL your purpose.” Not some of your purpose, like the closed up rose bud that didn’t fully open, but to be totally sold out for God and His purposes! Are you being sifted? “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”  

Aloha, Karen ☺

Descending Into Darkness

Dear Sisters who are praying,

"We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the providence of Asia.

We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it.

In fact we expected to die. But as a result we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God."

2 Corinthians 1:8-9.

After having been in the hospital 3 times within 3 weeks I can honestly say I don’t want that any more. But since leaving the hospital I am weak, nauseous, & unable to do some of the simple things I used to do.  I feel extremely vulnerable.

During this trial there have been moments where I can feel my mind descending into darkness.  Questions arise: Will I always be this way? Is this my new normal? What kind of life is this for my family?

I know where my mind should be - focused on God, His promises, His love and mercy - but at various times the darkness descends.  I think of Paul.  One trial after another, a dark cold prison cell, pain.

He is just a man, full of faith, but I bet he had moments where he felt alone, afraid, wondering “why?”  Yes we read of the praises he sings, and I do that too, but darkness can come quickly. 

God tells us to be prepared, but sometimes our flesh over takes our faith. That’s when I just have to lay back, surrender, and ask the Holy Spirit for strength.  Nothing else can do…I just need Holy Spirit Power.  I also ask God how can He use me? And He always shows me.

We are all a bit like Paul.  The trials come; we don’t understand or like them.  There are moments of descending into darkness, but then God extends His hand & shines the light upon the situation. It is the HOPE He and only He can bring. Paul wrote some of his best works while in a dungeon!

I don’t want to look too far ahead - I am looking one moment at a time. I am grateful for a moment of rest, strength, of feeling hugs, of having people visit. 

One moment at a time.

Like He did with Paul, it’s in these dark moments that God teaches us.  He speaks to us about what others need, be it exhortations or encouragements or something in between.  Paul never stopped being used by God to touch the lives of others, even though he might have been going through a dark time.

Don’t stay in the darkness. Pray yourselves out of it. Use the Power of the Holy Spirit.  Arise!!

I love you all, sharon

Treasure in Fragile Clay Jars

Hey Girls!

Have you ever wondered why God would choose to put His greatest treasure in a fragile jar of clay rather than in a safe deposit box? Sounds crazy doesn’t it? A clay jar is weak and frail. A clay jar is easily broken. Usually our natural inclinations are to guard and to protect our treasures. We want to make sure they’re put in something strong and sturdy that won’t break! Something that will keep those precious treasures safe and secureJ

But that’s not what God did. He had something very different in mind with His treasure.

“For God, who said, ‘Let there be light in the darkness,’ has made this light shine in our hearts, so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.

This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” 2 Corinthians 4:6-7

It’s a wonder why God would choose to put His great treasure in me. Lately, pretty much daily, I am reminded of the fact of how frail and weak

 I really am. When my heart rises up in anger, when my mouth speaks with the wrong tone, when I choose to dwell on the wrong things, or have a selfish attitude again and again… L it’s a reminder of the weakness of my flesh.

It’s a reminder of my need for the Spirit of God to fill me with His treasure!

On my own, I’m a weak jar of clay, easily broken; but filled with God’s Spirit I am strong! I am strong because of the treasure inside of me. PTL for the riches of His amazing grace!

The reason God put His treasure in fragile vessels like you and me is to remind us daily that we have no power or strength without Him! Thank the Lord for the power of the Holy Spirit! Don’t let the enemy of your soul beat you up with your past failures and sin. Confess them to God… “If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.” We are almost halfway thru the year 2018!  Praying that each of us will ‘press forward’ into the remaining months of 2018 filled with treasure from above, and be full of faith, hope, and love.

God bless your day, Karen

Praying Scripture

Dear Women who are Praying,

There are so many wonderful scriptures God has made available to us to pray over people or ourselves.  One of my favorite is Ephesians 6:19-20:

“And pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel for which I am in chains, that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak”.

I take all the pronouns pertaining to me and place someone’s name in its place.  I ask God that His Word promises boldness and that my friend needs it!  The Spirit always leads when you use scripture in prayer.  Remember there are 6 parts to the armor of God we are to put on daily, but then Paul reminds us of the 7th part of our armor is PRAYER!!!

Use the sword of the spirit, the Word of God in your prayer times. Open the precious Word, start reading, seeking and see where and how the Holy Spirit will direct you to specific scriptures He wants you to pray for yourself, the brethren, your family, friends, country.  Your list will be limitless and your prayer time will be so impactful.  You will come away saying, “I have just experienced a moment with God”.

I leave you with this prayer that I pray over all of you, my sisters in the Lord:  “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the unsurprising greatness of His power toward us who believe” Eph. 1:18-19

Try it! I challenge you to be bold in your prayer time.  You will be amazed how your life will be forever changed.

Loving each of you for your devotion,

Sharon

Silence Is Golden

Dear Women Who Are Praying,

He answered her not a word. Matthew 15:23
He will be silent in His love. Zephaniah 3:17

I printed this devotion below from the book “Streams in the Desert” two years ago BUT I think it bears repeating!  I came across it again while reading the devotional book and its such an encouraging word. We are often tempted to think that God’s silence means something is wrong when it’s not! I pray that you will be blessed by the insight of this devotion below: 

It may be a child of God is reading these words who has had some great crushing sorrow, some bitter disappointment, some heart-breaking blow from a totally unexpected quarter. You are longing for your Master's voice bidding you "Be of good cheer," but only silence and a sense of mystery and misery meet you -- "He answered her not a word."

God's tender heart must often ache listening to all the sad, complaining cries which arise from our weak, impatient hearts, because we do not see that for our own sakes He answers not at all or otherwise than seems best to our tear-blinded, short-sighted eyes. The silences of Jesus are as eloquent as His speech and may be a sign, not of His disapproval, but of His approval and of a deep purpose of blessing for you.

"Why art thou cast down, O… soul?" Thou shalt yet praise Him, yes, even for His silence. Listen to an old and beautiful story of how one Christian dreamed that she saw 3 others at prayer. As they knelt the Master drew near to them.

As He approached the first of the three, He bent over her in tenderness and grace, with smiles of radiant love and spoke to her in accents of purest, sweetest music. Leaving her, He came to the next, but only placed His hand upon her bowed head, and gave her a look of loving approval. The third woman He passed almost abruptly without stopping for a word or glance.

The woman in her dream said to herself, "How greatly He must love the first one, to the second He gave His approval, but none of the special demonstrations of love He gave the first; and the third must have grieved Him deeply, for He gave her no word at all and not even a passing look. “I wonder what she has done, and why He made so much difference between them?" As she tried to account for the action of her Lord, He Himself stood by her and said: "O woman! How wrongly hast thou interpreted Me. The first kneeling woman needs all the weight of My tenderness and care to keep her feet in My narrow way. She needs My love, thought and help every moment of the day. Without it she would fail and fall.

"The second has stronger faith and deeper love, and I can trust her to trust Me however things may go and whatever people do. The third, whom I seemed not to notice, and even to neglect, has faith and love of the finest quality, and her I am training by quick and drastic processes for the highest and holiest service. "She knows Me so intimately, and trusts Me so utterly, that she is independent of words or looks or any outward intimation of My approval. She is not dismayed nor discouraged by any circumstances through which I arrange that she shall pass; she trusts Me when sense and reason and every finer instinct of the natural heart would rebel--because she knows that I am working in her for eternity, and that what I do, though she knows not the explanation now, she will understand hereafter.

"I am silent in My love because I love beyond the power of words to express, or of human hearts to understand, and also for your sakes that you may learn to love and trust Me in Spirit-taught, spontaneous response to My love, without the spur of anything outward to call it forth." He "will do marvels" if you will learn the mystery of His silence, and praise Him, for every time He withdraws His gifts that you may better know and love the Giver.

God bless you, Karen

Worrier vs Warrior

Dear Women of Prayer:

Did you know that God can use a Hallmark movie to speak to you?  He did just that to me.

While recently watching a Hallmark move, the leading lady kept repeating the above phrase, “am I a worrier or a warrior”? How would you refer to yourself?

I’ve been listening to many of you since we rang in a New Year.  Many of you are off and running - meetings, play-dates, classes, sport sign ups, bible studies, mission work, conferences etc.  Your agendas are filling your new calendars.  You’re here there and everywhere.  But take a moment and ask yourself, is this what or where God wants me?  Do all the commitments you’ve signed up for made you a worrier or a warrior?  Have your commitments made you biting your nails and asking yourself, “How will I have time to do all this?” Has one of your main phrases been “I’m so busy”?

Did you know that as He calls us to be Warriors, He also equips and prepares us?  Look at Psalm 40:2 “He lifted me out of despair, out of the mud and mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along”.  Look at how He prepares and equips you.  First, He lifts you up and then sets your feet on solid ground.  He steadies you as you walk along - He walks with you.  O what joy to know that as He calls us to be a warrior, He is there every step of the way.

2Sam 22:35 says" He trains my hands for battle, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze”.  He does the training, but we have to be ready, prepared, available and willing to be the Warrior!  HE is my trainer; not my friend, not my husband, not myself - HIM.

There are so many more scriptures that show us how to be Warriors instead of worriers, but we must go to His Word and dwell there to be able to stand firm, and be ready to do battle.  Oh Oh, I don’t like battles.  I’d rather have a quiet uneventful life. But that is not what God has asked of me.  I can protest, not listen or ignore Him but when I’ve chosen that path I am miserable.  I’m not at peace and guess what?  My life is still not uneventful!!  It is better to be in God’s will than apart from Him.

So Lady Warriors, it is time to raise the bar, to put on the full armor of God, to be prepared to march steadily forward even when we don’t feel like it.  We are in His army, He has chosen us.  We can do it because of what

He did or us!

I am a Warrior, sharon

The After-Christmas Blues

It’s a Happy New Year ahead of us… 2018! Behind us: the Christmas rush is definitely over!

Yet the Christmas lights are still twinkling off and on at my house and the decorated tree is still standing in its place. The excitement has gone down. And I felt a bit sadden as I recognized that the cozy days of Christmas were over :-(

I love all the preparation, the planning, and the anticipation of the celebration of ALL the Christmas festivities! Bethlehem Village is tops on my list of favorites during the holiday season. So is gathering with family and friends, singing Christmas carols, and walking in the Haleiwa parade. I look forward to receiving Christmas cards in the mail from friends near and far proclaiming the birth of a King; all the yummy food, all the sweet treats, and all the special gift-giving that takes place. So much going on! It’s an emotional high! It’s a happy birthday celebration for Jesus. And now it’s come to an abrupt halt. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I can experience “the-after-Christmas-blues”. You know - those in-between days after Christmas and before the New Year rolls in…

I was reminded recently in my readings that the Christmas story doesn’t end with the chorus of angels and a visit from the wise men. As the Shepherds left Jesus and went back to their flocks, they returned to their ‘normal’ lives... but now they had a new normal! Thanks to their personal encounter with the Messiah, they were now praising the Lord and telling everyone what had happened: they had met the precious babe called Jesus. Don’t you just love that reality: a changed life because of Jesus! As it says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" I can testify that my life has changed drastically because of the presence of Jesus. And we can unwrap the gift of God’s Christmas presence with us… Every. Single. Day! AND everyday is a gift from God… that’s why it’s called the present! J Let’s pray that we can keep the true spirit of Christmas ever present in our daily lives. And that we will share with boldness this good news with people everywhere. People need the gift of Jesus! Looking ahead to the New Year, with joy in my heart!

God bless you, Karen