The Cross

'For people who are stumbling toward ruin, the message of the cross is nothing but a tall tale for fools by a fool. But for those of us who are already experiencing the reality of being rescued and made right, it is nothing short of God's power.' ~ 1 Corinthians 1:18, The Voice

If we believe that Heaven is merely a default destination for all, then are we not, in essence, making a mockery of Jesus’s death? Are we not, albeit unwittingly, with our ‘all dogs go to Heaven’ mentality, counting Jesus’s death as meaningless, and turning the Cross into nothing more than a Hollywood movie prop, an air-brushed car and truck decal or a common fashion accessory?

Today -- this solemn day we’ve come to know as Good Friday -- take some time to gaze upon the Cross of Christ, and when you do, consider these thoughts:

• How do you view the Cross? What does it mean to you personally?
• Are you thankful for the Cross, or offended by it?
• Are you awestruck by just how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ is…for you?
• Are you humbled by the fact that the Son of God gave up the privileges of His Heavenly kingdom and set aside His rights of deity to come here to Earth to dwell among us, to love us, to serve us, and to give His life as a ransom for many?
• Are you deeply moved by the fact that Christ gave up His body to be brutally beaten, broken and pierced…for you? For me?
• Are you astounded by the fact that WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS, Jesus Christ died for us to demonstrate and to prove God’s incredible, amazing, unfailing love for us?

How do you view the Cross now? Do you still see it as a blinged-out trinket in your jewelry box; a piece of decor hanging on the wall in your home, office or an emblem stuck to your vehicle; a horrifying, offensive instrument of death to be avoided?

Or do you see it now, transformed by Christ, as a symbol of love, of life, of hope, of victory? Will you turn from it in fear and disgust? Or run towards it..and Him...with joy and abandon?

 \

Because Jesus didn’t remain in the grave, friends. It may be Friday, but Sunday’s coming. And with it, resurrection, salvation and new life!

"Men of Israel, listen to these words:This Jesus the Nazarene was a Man pointed out to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through Him, just as you yourselves know. Though He was delivered up according to God's determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail Him to a cross and kill Him. God raised Him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it." ~ Acts 2:22-24, HCSB

A.D. 30, by Ted Dekker (a book review)

When I was first approached by PR agency Shelton Interactive and asked if I’d be interested in reading and reviewing a new, soon-to-be-published work by author Ted Dekker, I initially and immediately wanted to say a big, fat NO.

Granted, I had NEVER read a book by Dekker, although I’d seen the majority of his writings displayed on the shelves of township and church libraries, and local bookstores. But it was my understanding that his books were haunting, intense thrillers which are SO not my genre of choice.

However, the summary the publicist provided piqued my interest, so I decided to read and review A.D. 30, Dekker’s latest literary offering, which is due to hit the shelves on Oct. 28.

And after all my foolish apprehension and yes, I admit, a harshly judgmental attitude, I must say that I’m so glad I did! What a story!!

A.D. 30 is a fictional novel set during the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. It’s the captivating story of Maviah, a young woman who is the illegitimate, outcast daughter of Rami bin Malik, a well-known and powerful sheik to the Bedouin people of Arabia. She, along with her infant son, live with her father, who has despised and rejected Maviah her entire life, and with her father’s Nabataen wife, Nashquya, the only one in the house who accepts and loves Maviah.

After a series of sorrowful occurrences and horrific, action-packed events take place in her desert hometown of Dumah, Maviah escapes the city under siege, and finds herself on a journey to Palestine, accompanied by two of her father’s best warriors, Saba and Judah. Once there, her mission is to find King Herod Antipas and form an alliance with him in order to save her father, who has been captured by an enemy tribe known as the Thamud, and the Bedouin people.

But unexpectedly, Maviah also encounters another King along the way – and quite a different King at that, who speaks of a Kingdom that is a far cry from any Maviah has ever known. His name is Jesus, or Yeshua, the Hebrew name to which He is referred throughout this book.

Each encounter she has with Yeshua, each incredible and radical teaching of His she hears, each amazing miracle she is privy to, slowly begins to change Maviah’s life dramatically. 

And finally, it is her faith and trust in Yeshua and His Way that will ultimately heal her and help her to deal with the surprise twists and dangerous turns that occur as she seeks to accomplish her all-important mission.

What I consider a ‘good read’ and a great book is generally one whose storyline causes me to carry the book with me wherever I go during the day so I can continue reading, and which keeps me reading far into the night after everyone in my family has gone to sleep. A.D. 30 is one such book. I could not put it down (although obviously, I eventually had to)!

In the micro biography on the book’s jacket, it states that Ted Dekker ‘is known for stories that combine adrenaline-laced plots with incredible confrontations between good and evil.’ I certainly found that to be true here.

Also, I absolutely love when a book enables you to experience what the characters themselves are experiencing – the physical, the mental and the emotional. The external and the internal.

And that happens for me here with A.D. 30, as Dekker paints an enormous linguistic mural, using a very fine, yet wonderfully detailed brush. His vivid, colorful descriptions and vast historical knowledge immediately swept me right into the times, the action, the excitement, the landscape and the emotions of this story.

The story itself is a little over 400 pages long, but for me, the real gem here is the 6 pages that make up the introduction that Dekker writes, entitled, ‘My Journey Into A.D. 30.’  

Here, we’re afforded a tiny glimpse into Dekker’s early life as the child of missionary parents, and how and why he came to write A.D. 30. From this portion of the intro alone, it would seem he wrote this as much for himself as he did for the benefit of other people:

‘For ten years I dreamed of entering the life of Jesus through story, not as a Jew familiar with the customs of the day, but as an outsider, because we are all outsiders today. I wanted to hear his teaching and see his power. I wanted to know what he taught about how we should live; how we might rise above all the struggles that we all face in this life, not just in the next life after we die.'

For those of us who feel or who have ever felt like an outcast -- invisible, betrayed, forgotten, unloved and abused -- A.D. 30 is also a story of hope and healing, through faith in Yeshua, one that we may be surprised to find (or not) parallel to our own life stories, although the details will obviously be vastly different. 

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a powerful and inspiring novel to read. Accept Dekker's invitation to 'enter this story if you like and see if you can see what Maviah saw. It may change the way you understand your Father, your Master, yourself, and your world.'

I’m so grateful and honored to have been given the opportunity to read and review A.D. 30, so many thanks go out to publicist Sara Pence at Shelton Interactive.  

Behold -- All Things Are Made New!

A new year is headed this way. 2014 awaits us on the horizon. A new day will be dawning soon.

Once again, we are afforded a fresh page, a clean slate on which to partner with God in writing the next chapter of our life stories.

As 2013 draws to a close, I have a lot to think about. Past regrets. Present concerns. Future hopes.

And questions. Always lots of questions.

How will I spend this upcoming year? What will I be doing?  

Will I continue to remain cancer free? 

Will our family still be living here on the East Coast, or will we finally make the much talked about, much anticipated move down South? 

Will I find a new church home?  

Will my son still be working at the same place, and which college will my daughter choose (or which will choose her)?

Will my husband opt for another spinal surgery or continue living daily with his intense back and neck pain?

Will our much loved Doberman Pinscher, Casey, make it to the Big ‘14’ this year?

And where will I be doing our laundry in the coming days? (yes, folks...our washer j-u-s-t breathed its last watery breath TODAY. As in one hour ago. Booyah!)

God says He knows the plans He has for us -- but what are they? I haven't a clue, and I'm fairly certain that you don't either (and truth be told, maybe it's better that way).

So, as 2014 prepares to make its grand entrance, it's a given that there will be changes. Large and small. Some changes will be welcome; some not so welcome.

But they will come, as we all wait expectantly on the cusp, holding our collective breaths.  

I invite you to join me as we leave the past behind and step into a brand, new future, bright with promise and hope. 

Always hope. 

And in case I don't have a chance later,  I'd like to take a moment right now to wish each and every one of you, dear readers, a very happy, healthy and blessed new year!

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

~Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)

Worship Song Sunday -- Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, by Chris Rice

O Root of Jesse, You stand as a signal for the people; before You, Kings shall fall silent and to You, the nations shall make their prayer: Come to deliver us, and do not delay! ~ from the Antiphons of Advent

Today is the first Sunday in the Advent season.  

Advent photo, Cheryle Kupsch Photography

Advent is derived from the Latin word, adventus, which means ‘coming.’  It’s a time of eager anticipation as we not only prepare for the celebration of Christ’s birth, but as we prepare for His Second coming as well.

Right now, preparation of any kind seems like a daunting task for me, as lately I have felt like one huge walking, talking, cluttered mess.  So many needless, foolish, dark and broken things are piled high and packed full into the storage rooms of my heart, mind and spirit. Wretched and useless things I'd much rather keep hidden away and avoid, but nonetheless, things that need to be purged and cleansed.  I NEED to make room for Jesus.

I so want these next several weeks before Christmas -- which are often extremely hectic weeks -- to be a time of sweet, holy joy and peaceful, purposeful contemplation on the things in this life that matter: of God-with-us, of family near and far, of friends and strangers in need, of making the fruits of the Spirit available to whomever I meet. 

As a people-pleasing, ‘everything-has-to-be-perfect’ kind of gal, I feel somewhat overwhelmed by this. Like some lone, inexperienced maid, asked to clean a castle from top to bottom in a mere few days to prepare for the coming of a very special, extraordinary King.

And yet -- I must remember that, although Jesus is a King, He humbled Himself and came to this earth in human form, a small, helpless Infant born into the lowliest of circumstances: in an ordinary stable among cows, sheep, goats and donkeys; drawn out of the birth canal and held first in the rough-hewn hands of His earthly father, an ordinary carpenter; wrapped in rags by His young, exhausted, not-yet-wed mother, an ordinary village girl; placed reverently and lovingly onto the smelly, and no doubt dirty, straw in an ordinary feeding trough for the barn animals.

  

Our Hope -- surrounded by and swaddled in humility.

The condition of my heart, spirit and mind….no, they’re certainly not perfect. But this Christ, this King – He is not looking for House Beautiful here, ready to perform the white glove test on me. And thankfully not, for I would surely fail!! No, I believe He is seeking only to be able to daily enter into my welcoming, humble heart; longing to heal my continually broken and contrite spirit, desiring to consistently guard my mind, always in need of renewal, with God’s peace.  

This year, in my search for a song to use that would not only suffice as a song of worship, but a song that would well represent the beginning of the Advent season, as well as my own, personal Advent journey, I came across a site that listed this song, 'Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,' as one which was used in someone's church during the Advent season.  I thought to myself, 'Really? THIS song?' It didn't really strike me as 'adventy' or even 'Christmasy' (and are these even real words I'm using here?).  

And yet, upon listening to it after being given a holy 'nudge' to write this post, I think it's a 'perfect fit.'  

May this song inspire, comfort and encourage you, dear one, as you perhaps begin your own Advent journey today......

And then Isaiah says: 'There shall be a root of Jesse; and He Who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in Him the Gentiles shall hope.'  May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in your faith, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, your whole life and outlook may be radiant with hope.' ~ Romans 15:12-13, (J.B. Phillips New Testament)

Don't Lose Hope

Do not be afraid, for I am with you.
    I will gather you and your children from east and west.
 I will say to the north and south,
    ‘Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel
    from the distant corners of the earth. ~ Isaiah 43:5-6, NLT

Rebellious.  Stubborn.  Mouthy. Sullen. Mean-spirited. Disrespectful. 

What do these words have in common?  Anyone, anyone?  Bueller...Bueller??

Answer: they are words that are often used to describe teens.  Now, I know there are folks out there who have teens who are well-behaved, respectful, sweet-natured, etc., folks who cannot relate to this and would beg to differ with this description.  But I don't know any of them personally. 

As the mother of two teens -- a 19 year old son and an almost 16 year old daughter -- I've found the waters of the teenage years choppy, difficult to navigate and quite frankly, very murky. The advice I found in the many, MANY books I've read about dealing with teens rarely seemed to address what I was dealing with at that time, and when it did, it never seemed to 'work' with my two. 

I've done everything possible to raise them the best I could, dedicating them to God and praying for them, although not always consistently.  I am an imperfect parent who, more often than not, has placed them both on God's altar, only to run and snatch them back again when I slip and fall into my 'Mother Knows Best' mode. 

These days, it's painful for me to stand on the shoreline and watch as both of them seem to drift not only farther away from me, but away from God. 

Yes, they attend church, Sunday School and youth group; they've gone on retreats and have been involved in many missions projects/trips.  But outside of that, they act, think and speak like those heavily ensconced in the world.  They are often drawn to and embrace things that break my heart and cause me great anxiety. People encourage me, telling me it's just a phase. And yes, I know much of it very often IS a phase.  But the very weak, foolish and doubting Thomas part of me is worried and afraid. I ache.  I cry.  And yes, I do pray.  

But some days, I just feel like giving up. I'm losing hope. 

There's been an email, sitting unopened in my Inbox for close to a week.  It's entitled, "Your Children Will Return."  I have no good excuses as to why I left it sitting there for so long.  I just did.  

This morning, however, I opened it and found an article written by a woman named Joy Frangipane Marion.  She is the daughter of Francis Frangipane, a Christian author and the founding pastor of River of Life Ministries in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Apparently, back in the day, Joy was quite the sullen, rebellious, mouthy, disrespectful and mean-spirited prodigal daughter, causing her family -- but especially her father -- much pain, heartache and grief.

But these days find her the happily married mother of two, a successful businesswoman and back in a right relationship with her earthly father AND her heavenly Father.  A precious testimony to God's unfailing love, protection and provision, and to her parents' faithful, tear-ridden prayers. 

Near the end of the article, Joy has this to say, and I share it here in the hopes that it will encourage someone today, as it has for me; someone who is also having great difficulty in navigating those murky, choppy waters of the teen years (and even beyond to young adulthood); someone who is drowning and losing hope:

Listen, please don't give up on your teenagers. Don't sacrifice God's standards of righteousness to appeal to their carnal nature. They can't respect you for it and God won't honor it. Your children were not consecrated to Satan; they were dedicated to the Lord. He has had His hand on them and He will not forget them. He has heard your prayers and He is faithful to your cries. He is God. ***

*** To read the entire article, please click on the link below:
Your Children Will Return

Worship Song Sunday -- My Hope Is In You, by Aaron Shust

Show me Your ways, LORD,
teach me Your paths.
Guide me in Your truth and teach me,
for You are God my Savior,
and my hope is in You all day long. ~ Psalm 25:4-5, NIV

Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will not be shaken. ~ Psalm 62:5-6, NLT


Life is hard.  That's a given, isn't it?  We all would love to live a smooth, happy life that moves about on an even keel.  No surprises or shocks.  No hard times or difficulties.  No road blocks or detours.  


Unfortunately, that's just not possible.  Jesus warned His disciples (and that warning stretches through the centuries down to us) that  "in this world you will have trouble" (John 16:33).  There will be times when life doesn't go the way we'd hoped or planned.


But -- Jesus didn't leave them nor us with merely a dire forecast.  His next words in the same verse -- "But take heart!  I have overcome the world"  give us something else.  Something better to hold onto.  


Hope.  Jesus gives us hope.  Always.

Let our hope be in Him, all the day long. 

Don't Give Up

'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'  ~ Jeremiah 29:11, NIV

Strange where blog posts come from.  For me, I usually feel a 'nudge' from the Lord to write something or share a song.  When I've tried to 'come up with something' on my own,  it generally falls apart.  


Today, I really felt moved to share this.  Somebody needs to read, hear and KNOW this.


Perhaps you're feeling discouraged today; you may feel at the end of your rope and you're checking to see if there's enough of it to place around your neck.  DON'T GIVE UP.


Suddenly, you may have encountered a detour on the path you were SURE was the right one to take.  The once bright, smooth and certain course has now changed into a dark, rough and unknown road, but you can't turn back. You feel like just laying down in the dirt and crying.  


Maybe something you've wanted to do your whole life hasn't turned out the way you planned.  Your dreams have been dashed and you've lost your confidence. DON'T GIVE UP.


You're angry, hurt, dismayed and frustrated.  But please -- DON'T GIVE UP!

God's thoughts are not our thoughts; neither are our ways His ways.  But He has a plan for your life.  He really, really does. 


Remember that.


Believe it.


And DON'T GIVE UP!

The Power of Words

The right word spoken at the right time is as beautiful as gold apples in a silver bowl. ~ Proverbs 25:11, NCV
 
Words - where would we be without them?

They are a vital part of our lives. We learn to speak and read, to communicate with each other by hearing and seeing words.

I have a love affair with words. Yup -- I am a “word nerd.” I love to read and, like the true nerd that I am, I’m thrilled when I come across words I’ve never seen or heard before. And of course, I love to write, so give me a dictionary, a thesaurus, some paper and pens or a fresh, blank laptop screen and I’m a happy camper.

No, this is not my home.  But maybe someday, I'll have a cool room with a view like this one.

Words are powerful, too. Whether they are spoken or written, words have the power to comfort, heal, encourage; to bring  joy and truth and to be a soothing balm to the wounded.

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones ~Proverbs 16:24, NIV

It’s a beautiful thing to receive a love letter, isn’t it? We treasure it,  keeping it in a special place; or maybe we carry it around with us, taking it out often to read over and over, astounded that someone loves us THAT much and was able to put into words what’s in their heart. Those words can encourage us when we are downcast, calm us when we are anxious, reassure us when we are uncertain or afraid, make us laugh or cry tears of joy and perhaps brighten an otherwise dull day. That person may not be with us at the moment...they may not even live in the same town or state....but just by reading those words, our whole demeanor or outlook on life can change. It’s like a lifeline to the author of those words, making them feel near, even when they are not.

But words also have the power to hurt, deceive, discourage, frustrate, bring sorrow and fuel the raging fires that burn within.

I remember when I was growing up and would say something hurtful to someone else, but I really hadn’t meant to or didn’t realize at the time the effect those words were going to have, I’d say right away, “I take it back!” But once a hurtful word or two or twenty come out of our mouths, we can’t take them back. The same goes for written words. An irate letter or email, a hurtful diary or journal entry, a sniping, sarcastic Facebook post or comment...once written, seen or sent, it’s too late - the damage has already been done.

Rash language cuts and maims, but there is healing in the words of the wise. ~Proverbs 12:18, The Message

One of my favorite books growing up was called “Harriet The Spy.” 

Copyright 1992 by Lois Anne Moorehead
First published by Harper & Row Publishers Inc. 1964

Harriet M. Welsch is 11 years old and aspires to become both a writer and a spy. She practices for her future careers by observing her family, friends, neighbors, teachers and classmates, and writing down everything she sees and thinks in a notebook, which she takes with her everywhere. One day during a game of tag, Harriet loses her notebook and is mortified when her friends find it and read it. They’re appalled at some of the hurtful things she’s written about them. Harriet’s friends band together to form the Spy Catcher Club. The club meets almost every day to think up ways to make Harriet pay for what she wrote, including stealing her lunch and destroying her art class project. Harriet’s words have caused pain and started a campaign of meanness and revenge. Words can often do that.

We must choose our words carefully, because words have power.  They can give life or they can destroy it. They can lift up a soul or break a heart.

The words of his mouth were smoother than cream or butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords. ~ Psalm 55:21, Amplified Bible

I’m simply overwhelmed by how many hurting people there are in the world…and sadly, many within the body of Christ. Over the years, I’ve heard from men and women, from ’tweens to the elderly, almost daily, who are exhausted and in pain, whose tank of hope and faith is just about empty, and who just want to give up. The lies they have received from the enemy of our souls and from negative people in their lives are reflected in the words they speak that pierce my heart when I hear them:

*No one cares

*I’m worthless

*I’m stupid

*I’m such a loser

*I have no purpose

*No one loves me

*I give up

They are desperate to hear a few simple words of affirmation, acceptance, acknowledgment and of agape love in time of need. Simple words from like-minded, compassionate, grace-filled Jesus people who speak as His ambassadors with words like:

*I understand

*I’m here for you

*I’m listening

*I care

*I’m praying for you

*You matter to me

*You are loved

*Don't give up

　
We need a circle of friends who are ready to come along side of us at any given time; to cry with us; to cheer us on and encourage us; to walk with us through the dark times; to offer their hand to pick us up when we’ve fallen down; to pray for us, to pick us up and carry us to Christ, when we are too weak and exhausted to run to Him ourselves. 

It's a privilege to be able to do all of the above for the precious people, male and female, whom God has placed in my life, and to have them do the same for me. What a joy and a comfort it is, knowing when I’m at the end of my rope, they are out there to offer me theirs!

The power of words from loving, godly people at just the right moment can help to bring healing, hope, comfort, strength and encouragement into our lives and into the lives of others.


There will be times when we have no idea what to say to someone who is in crisis and is hurting or grieving.  And that's when we need to look to our loving Father God and ask Him to speak for us and through us.

God's Word says this in Colossians 3:16, (NIV): "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."  And this in Ephesians 5:19 (NIRV): "Speak to each other with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs."

When our mouths are full of the Word of God and our praises of Him, there is no room in them for deadly, discouraging and damaging language.

Are we, as people of God, speaking and singing words of life, love, comfort, hope and encouragement into the lives our family members, friends, neighbors, classmates, church and coworkers? 


"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." ~ Ephesians 4:29 

What are YOUR words doing today?

Every brief encounter that You send my way 
Is a chance to show the love You gave me. 
I see their troubled faces, a hunger deep inside 
But I depend on You to touch their lives. 
Light what burns within me, let Your truth shine through my life. 


Speak for me; this my plea. 
Say the words I can't express. 
Sing for me a heavenly melody 
That the people will be blessed. 
Speak for me. ~ Speak For Me, by Jaci Velasquez

Joy and Hope

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ~ Romans 15:13, NIV

It just doesn’t seem possible that once again, we’ve found ourselves on the threshold of another brand new year -- 2012. As the years go by, I sometimes feel like I’m in a sci-fi novel when I have to write out or type the latest numbers, like I will be doing shortly: 2012.....what in the world ever happened to 19 whatever!?


Looking back, people may breathe sighs of relief, saying how thankful they are that the year is finally over because of how awful or stressful it was, and how they’re looking forward to a new year; a clean, fresh slate.

I’ve often found myself doing the same, remembering the hard times, trials and difficulties that came my way, peppering my life with sadness and discouragement, yet holding on to hope that better, happier days and times are coming.


However, there are two important things to keep in mind:


(1.) Our joy comes from the Lord. “Whatever happens, dear brothers and sisters, may the Lord give you joy …” Philippians 3:1 (NLT)

Did you catch that? WHATEVER happens. Joy comes from within, where the Holy Spirit of the Lord resides. Joy, unlike happiness, is not dependent on our outward circumstances.


(2.) Hope CAN be found the midst of trials. Hope is what we must hold onto, no matter what. There is ALWAYS hope. It’s that joyful expectation of and belief in what God has promised to us, whether we receive those promises in this life or in eternity with Him. It’s believing that He’s in control of our lives and that He makes ALL things work together for our good, even when everything in our lives practically SCREAMS the exact opposite. And that hope, like joy, also comes from the Lord:

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you HOPE and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)


As we head into and move through this new year, to whom or what will you look to bring you joy? People, places, things, material posessions?  As 2012 looms on the horizon, what do you need hope for? A rocky marriage? A wayward, prodigal child? A strained relationship with family members or friends? A devastating health diagnosis? An overwhelming financial situation? A stress-filled job or the loss of a job? Unsaved loved ones, friends, coworkers, neighbors?

Will you join me in looking to Jesus, our true source of all hope and joy? He loved us enough to die for us, and we can trust Him with our lives, with every harsh reality, every situation, circumstance or person that threatens to steal our joy and crush our hope.

It’s my prayer that in this brand new year of 2012, trusting in Jesus for these things and more will come easier to you and to me; that we’ll make time to spend with Him in open, honest, sweet conversation and ingesting His Word into our hearts, minds and souls. I’m praying for all of us to be touched and changed by the Master this year, unlike any other year.

Hear the sound of our chains
They come crashing down
There’s freedom in Your name
The cross erased our guilt and shame
The past can’t condemn the ones
Who bear Your name

We found our hope in You

You make all things new, new life found in You
You restore the years that we have wasted
You make all things new, Your love breaking through
There’s healing in Your wake and we are changed ~ 'All Things New,' by Elevation Worship

You're My Only Hope

Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:
He bustles about, but only in vain;
he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.
But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in You. ~ Psalm 39:6-7

You can watch the news on TV, listen to it on the radio, read it in the newspaper or have it pop up as a feed to view from your computer, iPhone or iPad, thereby becoming privy to way too many stories of people all over the planet who find themselves suffering in hopeless situations. But really, you don't even have to go that far....just look around you in your own little world. Those in need of help, healing and hope are right under your nose -- people in your neighborhood, at your school or office, sitting next to you at church (church?? Does this shock you? It shouldn't)....maybe even in your own family. People who perhaps have no relationship with Jesus whatsoever, who think He's merely a figment of someone's overactive imagination or a character in a child's fairy tale.  Or people who've had a relationship with Jesus, but over the years, for whatever reason, have let that relationship fall by the wayside.  Maybe, the one in need of help, healing and hope.....is you.

Doctors hand you a frightening health diagnosis...but they just can't seem to find the proper treatment for it.  You've lost your job due to downsizing and day after day, you fill out online applications and send out your resume to everyone under the sun....and everyday, you're met with silence.  A lifelong dream is shattered....and there doesn't seem to be enough glue in the world to piece it back together.  You watch as people in your life seem to have blessing upon blessing rain down upon them....yet you feel continually bombarded by storm after storm, and the light at the end of the tunnel has become just a lame cliché for you.  You feel....hopeless.

You hate your life and you feel like packing it in and giving up.  Maybe you already have.  In your anger and doubt and fear and despair, you've turned your back on your First Love and walked away from Him for a time.  Perhaps for a very long time. But you've found that life without Him isn't what you thought it would be. You're confused and ashamed and guilt-ridden.  Like a runaway, prodigal child, you feel you can't ever come home.  Yet you couldn't be further from the truth.

While scrolling through my emails on Sunday afternoon, I came across one from DaySpring, the Christian greeting card company.  In the email were two very short devotional thoughts, each with a Scripture verse from DaySpring's cofounder and writer, Roy Lessin.  Below is the one I was immediately drawn to and would like to share with you here:

There is hope...

You can turn back to God,
because He has not turned His back on you.

You can hold on to God,
because He has not released His hold on you.

You can love God again,
because He has never stopped loving you.

I have formed you, you are My servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me! I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you. Isaiah 44:21-22

What an encouragement!  Yes, there is hope. No matter what we've done or said, no matter how far we've strayed or where it is we've come from, the Lord's love for us is available, unconditional and unfailing.  He is an endless fountain of mercy, grace and forgiveness.  And though you may not think so or feel it, you are firmly in His grip. Like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, our Lord waits for us, searching the road for a glimpse of us, His beloved children, ready to welcome us into His arms. We are NOT beyond redemption. He is our Rock and our Refuge.  He is our strong tower and our firm foundation.  He is our Anchor.   All hope is found in Christ alone.  

In the movie, Star Wars, there's a scene in which Princess Leia is in dire need and reaches out to  Obi-Wan for help.  She tells him, "This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope!"  In our most desperate hour, in our most desperate moments, Jesus is our ONLY Hope.  In church on Sunday, our worship leader told us this:  "With Christ in our life, there is endless hope. Without Him in our life, it's a hopeless end."

Don't give up. Come to Jesus.  There IS hope in Him. Believe it. 

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God;
He is my mighty rock, my refuge. ~ Psalm 62:5-7

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand ~ In Christ Alone, by Natalie Grant

Cry Out To Jesus

We all have our good days and bad days.  Sometimes, even as Christ's followers, it seems that the bad days can outweigh the good.  Things go wrong -- your kids miss the bus for the third time in a row and you're running late again for work. Your car's making 'that noise' and the Check Engine light boldly refuses to go out. Gossipy, catty coworkers have decided to put YOU in the rumor mill hot seat today.  For the second time this month, an envelope arrives in the mail from you bank, containing the thin slip of paper with the dreaded words 'Insufficient Funds' emblazoned across the top, and you realize your rent is due in two days.  Your kitty heaves up a ginormous hairball on your newly cleaned carpet AND your best shoes.  And one of your answering machine messages reminds you that you promised to bring your yummy homemade brownies to tonight's 7:00 Bible study -- but it's 6:00 and you haven't even made dinner, let alone brownies.

Then there are the other, bigger things in life that go wrong, coming along like tsunamis to knock us down: a spouse up and leaves us for someone else; a parent dies; a friend betrays us; a lover rejects us; our children disappoint us with their foolish choices and destructive behaviors; a promotion is given to someone else or we lose our job entirely; our health concerns continue to spiral out-of-control, no matter what we or the doctors do.

Some days, we're better at putting on our happy face masks and going through the motions, chirping "I'm fine!" to anyone who asks.  But then there are other days when even as our eyelids begin to flutter open and before our feet can touch base with the bedroom carpet, those heavy burdens we carry seem to come crashing through the roof for an unwelcome early morning 'meet and greet,' pressing us down before we can even rise up, shattering us.  Anguish, hopelessness and depression become our captors.  We are overwhelmed and broken before our morning coffee has a chance to brew.

These are the days when we can do nothing else but cry out to Jesus.  These are the days when we NEED to remember that He is everything to us:

He is our King and our Friend
He is the Lover of our soul
He is our Wonderful Counselor
He is our Savior and Redeemer Who lives
He is our Helper
He is our Prince of Peace
He is our Rock and our Refuge
He is our beloved Good Shepherd

In my times of despair and feeling overwhelmed (whether caused by others or by my own hand), I've learned that the best place for me to find comfort, strength, encouragement, joy, peace and hope is in God's Word...and more specifically, in the Book of Psalms.  While many of the 150 psalms are happy ones, centering on praise to, worship of and thanksgiving for our Lord, there are also others that address the discouragement, anguish, fears, hopelessness, sorrow and trials we all struggle  with during our lives.  Over the years, the Book of Psalms has become my book of hope.

Throughout Psalms, in each trying circumstance, in every moment of pain, sorrow, brokenness and oppression, the various psalm writers know exactly what to do and to whom they should run.   They don't look to their families, friends, physicians or their government for help or comfort or strength --they call on and cry out to the Lord.  

'Evening, morning and noon, I cry out in distress and He hears my voice.' (Psalm 55:17)

'Out of the depths I cry to You, O LORD; O Lord, hear my voice. Let Your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.' (Psalm 130:1-2)

'For He will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.' (Psalm 72:12)

They pull no punches in telling Him just how they feel (because after all, He knows His children inside and out; He knows the hearts of the ones He loves, so why try to hide those feelings from Him?), as the Sons of Korah do in Psalm 88:

'You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.  Your wrath lies heavily upon me; You have overwhelmed me with all Your waves.  (Selah) You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. Do You show Your wonders to the dead? Do those who are dead raise up and praise You? Why, O LORD, do You reject me and hide Your face from me?' (Psalm 88:6-8;10;14)  

They present all their complaints to Him:

'I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.  I pour out my complaint before Him; before Him, I tell my trouble (Psalm 142:1-2) and 'Hear me, O God, as I voice my complaint.' (Psalm 64:1)

and encourage others (like us) to do the same:

'Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. Selah.' (Psalm 62:8)

'Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.' (Psalm 55:22)

I gain comfort in the knowledge that the Lord's anointed people weren't always perfect 'shiny, happy people'; they hurt and were depressed and felt angry and despondent as I often do.  I'm not alone.

Because in our suffering, people can't always be there for us.  They have their own lives to lead, their own families to care for, their own jobs to go to, their own health problems to contend with, their own issues and pain to deal with.  Although they may long to help and comfort and counsel us, they can't always be available to us.

But there is a Friend, One Who sticks closer than a brother: Jesus.  He is our faithful, loving Friend Who is always available to us, 24/7, 365 days a year.  He is not overwhelmed or overbooked.  We'll never hear, "I'm sorry, I'm unavailable to speak with you at the moment, but if you leave a message, I'll be sure to get back to you as soon as possible."

He is Immanuel -- God with us.  He is El Roi -- The God Who Sees.  He is not blind to your hurts and grief, or your fear and anxiety.  He is Jehovah -Shammah -- God is there.  Yes, He is right there wherever you are....in your emptiness and loneliness;  in your hopelessness and brokenness.

'The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.'  (Psalm 34:18)

Are you brokenhearted and unloved; anxious and exhausted; poor and needy, in distress and in despair?  Look to the One Who knows and understands what it's like to be lonely and rejected; to be hurt and cast aside; to be in anguish and feel forsaken.  He's been there.  He's Jesus.  Cry out to Him.

There is hope for the helpless, rest for the weary,
And love for the broken hearts;
There is grace and forgiveness, mercy and healing,
He'll meet you wherever you are....
Cry out to Jesus,
Cry out to Jesus. ~ Cry Out To Jesus, by Third Day