Coming Back for the Holidays

I just got back from vacation. A wonderful and awe-filled trip to Walt Disney World. This included much needed time with family, a trip to all parks, a parade or two in passing, the reading of the Christmas story by the Allstate guy (President Palmer from 24) a 150 member choir singing Christmas carols that helped tell the story, and behind the scenes tour, some amazing rides, more amazing sights and most amazing firework displays.
Now I am back to celebrate Christmas, a holiday that has wonderful memories and some not so wonderful memories. My only child is a senior in high school so we have wonderful memories in the past, but there is part of me that looks at this time much like this vacation, great memories, but they are over. All of the wonder gone. Just memories of times gone by. Times of laughter and promise cut short by NOW circumstances and seasons.
This morning I got in the car with my husband to head to church and I made sure their was my favorite Christmas songs playing. My heart plummeted with despair of loss...then this song came into my heart... In remembering how wonderful "the greatest place on earth" Walt Disney World was and how I was not there, I forgot where I was...

You usually hear this in a slower version, but I like the spunk in this one.

So leaving for church this morning, there was a sunrise eventually seen by all the world today that far exceeded the wonder of a few firecrackers in Orlando. There was a V shaped geese family flying over head that were more amazing than the animations used on the Jungle Cruise. So from Walt Disney World to My Father's World, Christ was and is glorified. He Reigns... just read what Colossians 1:15-23 says about Jesus...go ahead, read it out loud...

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God,
    the firstborn of all creation.
¹⁶ He created all things in heaven and on earth,
    visible and invisible.
        Whether they are kings or lords,
            rulers or powers—
                everything has been created through him and for him.
¹⁷ He existed before everything
    and holds everything together.
¹⁸ He is also the head of the church, which is his body.
    He is the beginning,
    the first to come back to life
        so that he would have first place in everything.

¹⁹ God was pleased to have all of himself live in Christ. ²⁰ God was also pleased to bring everything on earth and in heaven back to himself through Christ. He did this by making peace through Christ’s blood sacrificed on the cross.

²¹ Once you were separated from God. The evil things you did showed your hostile attitude. ²² But now Christ has brought you back to God by dying in his physical body. He did this so that you could come into God’s presence without sin, fault, or blame. ²³ This is on the condition that you continue in faith without being moved from the solid foundation of the hope that the Good News contains. You’ve heard this Good News of which I, Paul, became a servant. It has been spread throughout all creation under heaven.

James 4:14,
Camelot

Jesus, There is No One like Him!

Oh the Cross of Christ…It is good thing to go over on a regular basis the sacrifice that was made to us. To remember the depth of Love that was poured out for us. Not out of ritual, obligation or duty, but out of our faith, gratefulness, and love. A few ways to remember is to meditate on songs that recount His journey, or read and read and read through the scriptures that tell of His sacrifice. His Life given for you and then to you. Nothing withheld. There is no one like our God.

“He came from heaven to earth, to show the way. From the earth to the cross, my debt to pay. From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky, Lord we lift Your Name on high.”

Isaiah 53:3-5

He was despised and rejected by people.
    He was a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering.
    He was despised like one from whom people turn their faces,
        and we didn’t consider him to be worth anything.
⁴ He certainly has taken upon himself our suffering
    and carried our sorrows,
        but we thought that God had wounded him,
            beat him, and punished him.
⁵ He was wounded for our rebellious acts.
    He was crushed for our sins.
        He was punished so that we could have peace,
            and we received healing from his wounds.

1 Corinthians 5:21

 ²¹ God had Christ, who was sinless, take our sin so that we might receive God’s approval through him.

John 19:16-18

¹⁶ Then Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be crucified.So the soldiers took Jesus. ¹⁷ He carried his own cross and went out of the city to a location called The Skull. (In Hebrew this place is called Golgotha.) ¹⁸ The soldiers crucified Jesus and two other men there. Jesus was in the middle

1 Peter 3:18

¹⁸ This is true because Christ suffered for our sins once. He was an innocent person, but he suffered for guilty people so that he could bring you to God. His body was put to death, but he was brought to life through his spirit.

Colossians 1:20

²⁰ God was also pleased to bring everything on earth and in heaven back to himself through Christ. He did this by making peace through Christ’s blood sacrificed on the cross.

Click here for a list of 200 Bible verses to rediscover the depth of His Love for You.

James 4:14,
Camelot

Is God Standing?

In Isaiah, the Lord said He will stand up...

¹⁰ The Lord says, “Now, I will stand up
    and show my greatness.
    Now, I will become important to the people.
¹¹ You people do useless things
    that are like hay and straw.
    A destructive wind will burn you like fire.
¹² People will be burned until their bones become like lime;
    they will burn quickly like dry thornbushes.” Isaiah 33:10-12 

There have been times in my life where things are pulling me left and right. I have so much to do, my family has so much to do (which means I have more to do), those I love have so much to do (which means I have more to do). :) Hopefully you get my drift.

My heart question to those that I love, those closest to me is "How can I help?" Usually I do not like the answer: do my laundry, help me with my paper, organize the papers on the coffee table, etc. But I want them to have room in their lives. Room for what? Room to ask the one question that I desire to be the primary question of my life, "Lord, are You the most important thing in my life, so important that You are my life?"

In Isaiah, His people had filled their lives and the lives of their family with things that were useless. I do not think it is the "thing" that is useless per se, but the motive behind and the goal of the activity that renders it useless. Yet the Lord who knows our hearts says that HE will stand up and become important to us.

Lord, may you increase in my life and the lives of those that I love. May the meditations of our heart and the words of our mouths be acceptable to You. As Colossians 1 says, May we live "the kind of life that honors and pleases You in every way. May we produce fruit in every good work and grow in the knowledge of God. God, strengthen us with Your own great power so that we will not give up when troubles come, but we will be patient."  In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen

 James 4:14,
Camelot