THANK GOD FOR THE MORNING!

I have been trying to go over in my mind how the followers of Jesus might have felt on that Saturday after the cross. They have no hope. No joy. No future. Nothing to encourage them. Just a day without Jesus.  How sad they must have been.  What would it be?-a day without Jesus. And so many in our world today living lives of hopeless despair because they don't have Jesus. During this week before we celebrate the resurrection my prayer is for those whose lives reflect the day without Jesus. 

AND THEN CAME THE MORNING.

I'm not sure we can fully comprehend the joy they must have known. Even in our darkest hour we have Jesus. And as we celebrate that morning, I pray those living in the Saturdays of life may know the joy of Jesus and his promise and see the dawn of the morning joy.

"Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning" Psalms 30:5

photos by Mitch Camp

BUT WE ARE FAMILY!

Besides my aunt, some of my uncles and sometimes their wives lived with us at different times. Usually, the new residents came when someone was without a job or returning home from the armed services or recently married or divorced. Few questions were asked. The understanding in the family was that my mother and father would care for you until you could take care of yourself.   Paying bills and providing food and a place to sleep for long intervals (sometimes months) for his siblings was not an unusual action for my father

And tying all of this together was my mother-cooking, cleaning. laughing, crying but most of all just loving.  Parenting the entire family-not just her two children. Twined throughout it all was the love my parents showed to one another and the community.

My parents were in love with one another.  It was a fact of life for me.  I never questioned it. We never talked about it, and I didn’t realize the importance of the love between my parents until I was much older. Perhaps not even until I began to love a man myself.

             A father can do more for his children by loving their mother than anything else he can do for them. A mother who loves and respects the father will give children a security that goes beyond financial circumstances. Love between parents does not just happen.    Love is not always just an emotion.  It is a choice.  My parents chose to love each other and their extended family. Because of that, I learned love in my home. Love is sacrifice

Not only were they living for one another but for the extended family.  It is this sacrifice that is so needed in our society today. Homelessness might be eradicated if we could only allow our families to be a part of our home and lives. Christ himself taught this very example when he asked John to watch over Mary. 

“When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.” John 19:26-27

1 Timothy 5:8 | NIV  Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

I wrote this in 2006 so decided I could share it again. :-)

May everyone know the joy of Home for the holiday...whether it be in your heart or a reality. We all have a spot within our soul that needs to be filled with Jesus, And when that large hole is filled, we have home in our hearts. I pray this space in your heart is full of the Savior and his love.

Home for the holidays-isn’t that a beautiful phrase? For some, home is the light display around the lake, the gold coin in the Salvation Army kettle and the Bell Ridge church children’s program. For others home is the carol floating from the church steeple, Santa’s house on the corner of the Courthouse lawn, and the smiling faces of people who nod in recognition at the Wal-Mart.

For many it’s lunch with friends, and best of all, the family gathering under the same roof to celebrate the birth of the Savior who means so much to all of us. Home has a different association to each of us, but for me it is all of these things and more.

Home is Edgar County, Illinois. Here in Edgar County we can still enjoy the manger scene displayed in so many different ways. I enjoy the living nativity at the church drive-thru, but whether the nativity is cast in fancy marble or displayed as a small crèche on the coffee table, it is still a reminder of our Savior’s home when He came into this world. Not a palace, but a stable. Not a home of great renown and wealth, but the lowly dwelling of a teenager and a carpenter.

             Isn’t it amazing when you think about it? That God would expect a young teenage woman and her carpenter husband to raise the Savior of the world? And yet, it was in this home where Jesus “grew in wisdom and in stature” (Luke 2:52) and became all that He was meant to be.

           My childhood home and family memories flood my heart during this time of year. I realize how past experiences have shaped me into the woman I have become. I pray that those of us who are parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts remember that as Jesus grew and was influenced by these young parents in their home, so the children around us are influenced by what they are witnessing in us. All are touched by the world’s concept of Christmas. We can enjoy cooking, shopping, and the partying of the holidays. However, my wish for children is that their family memories be centered on the celebration of Jesus’ birth and the knowledge that He came to be the Savior.

             May your home and your family be a place of celebration and joy for the birth of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. May you enjoy your walk with Him in 2024. Enjoy your walk. Jeremiah 6:16

 MERRY CHRISTMAS

A BIG DEAL? (Copy)

“Wow.  God is really a big deal isn’t He? “. Her exclamation came as we studied the 4th chapter of Revelation with the descriptions of the throne room and God at the center. Everyone smiled, and we continued our discussion.

  Although I did not personally know her, I reflected on her comment and began to roll it around in my mind. (Writers do that).  I questioned myself, “Is God still a big deal in my life?”

I have been a Christian for sixty-three years. Perhaps it is somewhat like a marriage of many years. I dated my husband for four years, and today have been married to him for sixty-eight.  I confess that most days he is no longer a big deal; however, he brings me flowers for no reason, he recognizes when I am sad, he fixes a treasured vase that has been broken, and suddenly he is a big deal. Obviously, it isn’t the major situations of life, but those simple gestures of love that cause me to realize how much he means to me.

            And so it is with God. I have become comfortable with God. He is a part of my life, but I don’t view this as a big deal. But then, a beautiful great-grandchild kisses my cheek, the music of the Sunday worship brings me to tears, the sunrise of the early morning glows in the East, my children express love for me when I least expect it, and God displays what a big deal He is.

            As I leave Bible Study and go on my way, I identify what truly makes for a big deal…God sent His Son to die for me that I might have eternal life.  And that is truly the real Big Deal.