Ready for a New Year

When 2013 began, I wasn't sure what to expect.  Looking back I see the ups and downs that go with any year.  It's a good time to celebrate the things that were accomplished and reconsider things that maybe didn't go so well.  Reviewing a year is often like reading Ecclesiastes 3, as there is a time to every purpose under heaven.

A new year comes with new dreams and new plans.  I was talking about New Year's resolutions with my 7 year old.  I told her we should make some together, like eating some fruit each day and brushing our teeth every night.  She looked at me like I had lost my mind.  :)   But you know, resolutions are just plans we make in an effort to create a good habit.

Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.

So I'll begin making  plans and watch where The Lord directs my steps. I will even still hope that He thinks it is also a good idea for us to brush our teeth each night.

The Star

It's the Sunday before Christmas and it's been raining all day.  I've been staring at my Christmas tree for a while, noticing the star on top.  Many people place an angel on top of their tree, but I've always been partial to a star. Yes, an angel told the shepherds about the birth of Jesus, but a star was used to lead the wise men.

Matthew 2:1-2  Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

As a child I believed the typical kid's Christmas program that the wise men visited Jesus on the night he was born.  When I began reading the Bible on my own I realized that those events occurred years apart.  (It's not like they could hop on a plane and arrive that night.)  

I've also wondered if His very own star followed Jesus during His entire life on earth.  Did it always mark His location?  What did it look like?  Did the star die the very moment He died on the cross?  

Those are some of my 'when I get to heaven questions'.  Until then, I'll just look at that star on top of my tree and enjoy knowing a unique star lead people to Jesus.

Merry Christmas!

My Poor Tree

As I was leaving the house for church last Sunday, I noticed that my Japanese Maple had a broken limb and was missing some of its bark.  The tree is only about 3 feet tall and I've been so careful with it this year trying to keep it healthy and growing.  We had a lot of rain that weekend, along with a few thunderstorms so I thought the damage was from the weather.  A few days later my sister visited and informed me that there was a buck in my yard and that it is breeding season. So now I have a buck marking my yard as part of its territory and doing its best to kill my only Japanese Maple.

I'm a little upset, but I can't blame the deer.  We live where they live and we share the land.  As I searched the Bible I wasn't sure what God might have to say about this.  The verse I found made me chuckle.

Psalm 29:9  The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth, And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everyone says, “Glory!”

Do you think the phrase 'and strips the forest bare' could be a reference to that buck striping the bark off my tree?  Why not?  I like knowing that in the most unusual events God already knew exactly what would happen.  

Surgeries and Shots

This week revolved around doctors and hospitals for my family and friends.  Last Monday my best friend was bitten by a stray cat that she had been trying to catch for weeks.  Still unable to catch the little monster meant that she had to begin the series of rabies shots to be safe.  On Tuesday my Dad had cataract surgery.  Also on Tuesday, a good friend from work had back surgery to remove a tumor that was pressing against her spinal cord.  It was a week when I found myself praying for both the wisdom of the doctors and the healing of the patients.

James 5:15a And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. 

I am happy to report that my best friend is halfway through her shots, my Dad is recovering (and I find it odd to see him without glasses), and the one who had back surgery is finally home and regaining her strength.  I don't like for my family and friends to hurt, but I'm awfully glad that a prayer of faith is available to help them as well as me.

The Christmas Village

Why is it that a week away from work, with no travel plans, never turns out quite the way you envisioned it?  In my desire to get as much done as humanly possible around the house, I tended to get side-tracked on things that I did not plan.  In fact I spent an entire day putting up a Christmas village with lighted houses, tiny people and fake snow.

I wasn't working. I wasn't cleaning. I wasn't checking items off my never ending to-do list. I was just trying to figure out how to make 17 houses sit around my dining room without looking scrunched or tacky.  It was a challenge but I think I did it.  Some may even wonder why I would put such an effort into a secular Christmas display, but even a village reminds me of Jesus' life on earth.

Matthew 9:35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

Thinking back, I don't regret putting up the village when I could have spent that time cleaning the basement or garage.  I intend to turn on my Christmas village every evening for the entire month of December to enjoy the peaceful scene, knowing believers have walked through scenes just like it to tell the Good News.