Chokecherries and Hummingbirds

Posturing...

I always seem to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time...

I happened to be sitting, minding my own business and:  Wham!! I get to overhear something that I really wish I had not overheard and I saw an expression; and, it made me really sad.  I thought to myself, "Whatever could they be thinking?"  The comment was that they were celebrating Christmas and with almost a gleeful expression on their face and a joyful skip to their step, they were NOT celebrating Hanukkah.  Not celebrating Hanukkah, I thought to myself.  In a moment, feelings of happiness and lightheartedness changed to depression, fleeting anger, and great sadness.  Do you not know, have you not heard?  Do you not know the celebration of Hanukkah?  The miracle that God did and the Jewish people remember and it seems most fitting to me that we Christians with our Judeo-Christian background should be celebrating more Hanukkah than Christmas.   

Since Jesus Christ is referred to as the "Light of the World", I cannot find a better tradition to follow than Hanukkah.  The remembrance of God for keeping the oil lamps lit in the temple for longer than His people had oil to keep the lamps lit.  A miracle of His provision and protection.  The Israelites were under seige and holed up in the temple.  They only had enough oil (oil is symbolic for the Holy Spirit by the way) to last a few days.  God made the oil last, and last, and last...think of the Energizer Bunny, it keeps going and going and going.  

I will celebrate Hanukkah over Christmas any day, and again, I am reminded of the Bible verse which says "the traditions of men that make void the word of God."  I'm paraphrasing and thinking, if you want to know more - Go look it up. Do your research, People!  It has to do with Joshua and "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."  Christmas, most Christians think of as remembering the birth of Jesus except - Jesus wasn't born at this time of year.  If you do your research you will find that most Christmas traditions are steeped deep in pagan religion.  True, imagine my dismay when I learned that and wanted to find a way to honor God.   

Hanukkah is known as the "The Festival of Lights."  It fits.  Jesus is the light.  The light of Christmas.  The light of the world.  The all-sufficient one.  He is eternal. He lives, he reigns, there is no one or no thing greater or higher than Jesus Christ.  Hanukkah fits and fits very nicely.  Remembering my God who shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory.  My God who does miracles still today. 
 

Why Every True Christian Will Admit 

They Are A Recovering Narcissist...

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

As much as I have ranted, yes - Ranted! - about bullies, narcissistic people, when the Lord popped this thought in my head, I had to stop and say, "Yes, This is very true."  We are all at different points in our journeys to the Lord if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  
The terms to define a narcissist float freely as in:  Self-Centered, they only think about themselves; Selfish, see self-centered.  They think only about themselves, see self-centered; They matter so much only to themselves that they will purposely try to control and manipulate others by lying, stealing, trying to set you up for other people to see you a certain way - not caring what harm it may cause to you, their victim, see self-centered.  If there is a control button, they have it.  They will not surrender it.  No matter the cost!  

Now this brings us to our learning points.  If you have had somewhat of a Catholic background, maybe Reformation, and have learned some of the catechisms you will remember your seven deadly sins.  If you have more a Protestant/Reformation, you will have lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life teachings.  

What Are You Catching???

2Co 6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 

This time of year always brings about hurts.  Someone always says something and their responses cause an offense, a wounding, and the enemy loves to play havoc with their emotions.  My answer is - We all must work out our OWN SALVATION with fear and trembling.  Meaning that what God has told me to lay down might be perfectly fine for you to pick up.  Please don't judge me and I won't judge you, okay?  However, I do have a life experience I would like to share with you.

Do you remember "The Joy" song?  The 'Joy Song?' you ask.  "Yes, the "Joy Song..." a memory from long ago comes to the forefront of my thoughts.  I remember a time sitting around the table, doing school, with my children.  They were being kind of grumpy and most likely, so was I.  I would do things at various time to break the monotony of  boring tasks that had to be finished to say 'we had done school.'  On this particular day, I broke out in to singing as I have known to do at times.  I started singing the "Joy" Song.  'If you want joy you must ask for it?, if you want joy you must ask for it....Remember?  The Joy Song??  Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha ha...by the third ha, we were all laughing.  We sang it together and again, by the third Ha, we were laughing.  Spontaneous laughter!  Joy!  Our cast-down countenances lightened by the moment.  

I watched a sermon-video recently and the speaker, Veronica Bean, was teaching on worship and the spontaneous that happens when you are praising and worshiping our Lord, Jesus Christ.  In this instance, prophecy, was the topic.  She made the statement that the Holy Spirit was 'catching.'  In other words, if you become thankful, others will catch on to that thankfulness.  If you become joyful, others will catch on to that joyfulness.  If you start prophesying, others will prophecy.  Likewise, if you are bitter and complaining (guilty, I admit it.) bitterness and complaining you will get. 

I don't know about you, but I need those others speaking in to my life.  Back to the topic at hand, whatever the Holy Spirit is doing is catching!  You start, others will follow.  May the day come when we are all bold to act without having to follow others and we are just obedient to obey our Lord, Jesus.

So whatever you are doing, be sure it is something you want to catch.  Might I encourage you tonight, around the family table, sing the 'Joy' Song and tell me what you caught. 

   

Here I sit, 

Churning thoughts in my head.

Plans I make, I'm going to do,

And I hear you say, "Come my Child, wait on me.

My Yoke is easy.  My burden is light."

The enemy presses, thoughts surging -

I'm going to make this happen

And I hear you say, "Wait, My Child.  Wait on me.

My thoughts fly back, 

'But, I must be about my  Father's business.'

All while My Father is saying, "Wait, My Child.  Come rest in me."