Waiting has never been an easy thing for me to do. Mostly because I am an awfully impatient person. I hate waiting in traffic, in line at the grocery store, for cookies to bake in the oven, and waiting rooms are just about the absolute worst places for me to wait! Ironically, my journey into the liturgical year begins with an entire season of waiting known as Advent.

Advent is from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming.” The Advent season is a dual reminder of the original waiting done by the Hebrews of the birth of the Christ the Messiah and of the eagerly awaited second coming of Jesus. Advent is a “season that teaches us to wait for what is beyond the obvious. It trains us to see what is behind the apparent. Advent makes us look for God in all the places we have, until know, ignored.” (The Liturgical Year, J. Chittister) I love this definition! Even when it seems God isn’t doing what we want Him to be doing or answering the prayers we want answered, He is busy behind the scenes doing more than we could ever imagine. This is a reminder that I seem to need right now more than ever.

Advent helps us realize God is not inert when life seems inert. How many people must have doubted God’s promise to send a Messiah while they waited for the first coming of Christ Jesus? Many of these same people were so busy looking for the so-called obvious and apparent signs that they failed to see Christ’s arrival at all! How many of us are looking and waiting for signs, answered prayers, miracles but are missing what matters most, interaction with God Himself?

During this season of anticipation, I pray that you’ll ask God to show you the places He’s been at work where you may have overlooked. Thank Him for always being faithful to uphold His promises and to squelch any shred of doubt. Praise God for the work He is ALWAYS doing behind the scenes of your life. Faithfully and joyfully serve God and others while God takes care of the details.

Enjoy the wait.

“Advent is about learning to wait. It is about not having to know exactly what is coming tomorrow, only that whatever it is, it is of the esence of sanctification for us. Every piece of it, some hard, some uplifting is a sign of the work of God alive in us. We are becoming as we go. We learn in Advent to stay in the present, knowing that only the present well lived can possibly lead us to the fullness of life.”  (The Liturgical Year, J. Chittister)

 Today marks the beginning of a new year; specifically, the beginning of a new liturgical “Church Year.”

What is the heck is a Liturgical Year or Church Year, you ask?

In her book, The Liturgical Year, Joan Chittister writes this about the liturgical year, “[it is] the year that puts in relief the full array of Christian mysteries and spiritual cycles for all to see…The liturgical year is an adventure in bringing the Christian life to fullness, the heart to alert, the soul to focus.”

A more “technical” definition is:

“The liturgical cycle divides the year into a series of seasons, each with their own mood, theological emphases, and modes of prayer, which can be signified by different ways of decorating churches, colors of Paraments and Vestments for clergy, scriptural readings, themes for preaching and even different traditions and practices often observed personally or in the home. In churches that follow the liturgical year, the scripture passages for each Sunday (and even each day of the year in some traditions) are specified by a list called a lectionary.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liturgical_year)

Why should anyone care about a traditional churchy thing like the Liturgical Calender?

At the following blog, Pastor Goggans listed some good points that I’ve listed below. He also cleverly addressed in the beginning of his blog that just because Catholics follow the Church Year doesn’t mean it’s automically a bad thing.

http://pastorgoggans.blogspot.com/2009/01/why-lectionary-preaching-is-good.html#comment-form

“It gives me a tie to the larger fellowship of the church universal.”

“The church year really focuses our faith.”

“A wider scale of doctrine is covered.”

I believe my journey learning and following the liturgical year will be a time of renewed focus, spiritual growth, and an invaluable lesson on the authentic, rich history and tradition of Christianity. I pray that I will learn new ways to grow and share and pratice Christian living on a daily basis, every day of the year. Here’s to the start of a new year!!

Do we really reap what we sow? What kind of destiny awaits if we count on Karma? In Mark Herringshaw’s, The Karma of Jesus, he explains Jesus’ supernatural role in breaking the ancient idea of the cycle of Karma-reaping what we sow. In no way is this book grotesquely preachy or over religious, yet it can still serve as a practical apologetics tool.

Using thoughtful research, excerpts of conversations with a spiritually curious young man and intimate details of his own personal journey into the mystery of faith, Herringshaw artfully clarifies to the reader that the purpose of life is more than combating the inevitable suffering resulting from human existence through self-atonement in order to fulfill perfect balance and harmony to the universe. God created Jesus as a way out of this fate.

Jesus was (and is) God’s way of “scamming” the system of Karma. Jesus, in a sense, traded the perfect Karma he created during his life on earth in exchange for all the bad Karma that ever existed (or has yet to exist) when he died on the cross. The love, mercy, and grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus, if we choose to accept these things, has the power to cancel out the eternal fate of suffering for our bad Karma.

It’s good news! In fact, it’s the Good News! Essentially, The Karma of Jesus reinforces and shares the foundation of Christian faith. It is a wonderful book for the skeptic, the curious, or even the seasoned Christian. Herringshaw is also the author of Six Prayers God Always Answers and Nine Ways God Always Speaks.

****I also want to thank Bethany House Publishers for the complimentary copy of this book for me to review!! Thanks!!!!******

As a “newer” Christian and a young mom, I get plenty of people offering all kinds of advice on spiritual things, parenting, pregnancy, etc. Sometimes its difficult to know which advice is most helpful for my life and circumstances. God’s Word clarifies who is “wise and understanding” will show it by their “good life, by deeds done in the humility that coes from wisdom.” (James 3:13 NIV) In addition to describing the wise and understanding person, the scripture from James 3 clarifies the attributes of the wisdom of the wise and understanding person in verse 17:

“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”

James 3:17 (KJV)

      In the NIV  version these eight characteristics of godly wisdom are listed a little differently.

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”   James 3:17

Here is your checklist the next time you’re surrounded by the advice of others and are trying to discern wise words from unwise. I’ve expounded on the definition on a few of these using other scripture to help drive the point home. I also pray that you yourself will become wise in both giving and receiving advice.

1) PURE:         Pure words come from the Bible. The wise person will use God’s Word to offer advice.

“Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.” Psalm 119:140 (KJV)

2) PEACE-LOVING:  Wisdom is described as peaceful which is why those having and offering true wisdom will be peace-loving.

 “Her (wisdom) ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.”   Proverbs 3:17 (KJV)

3) CONSIDERATE     A servant of the Lord will be considerate of others when offering advice.

4) SUBMISSIVE

5) FULL OF MERCY

6) FULL OF GOOD FRUIT:   Words of wisdom contain the good fruits of the spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”      Galations 5:22-23 (KJV)

7) IMPARTIAL

SINCERE

Luke
Chapter 18
Parable of the Importunate Widow

1 And [Jesus] spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Luke 18:1-8 (KJV)

The woman from this parable is called IMPORTUNATE which means: 

persistent, demanding, unrelenting, annoying, forceful, avid, overeager

My favorite of these words is annoying! The woman is basically annoying the Lord with her persistent prayers and petitions. Jesus said: “…lest by her continual coming she weary me.” It reminds me of my kids continually calling out “Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Hey Mom! MOOOMMYYYY!!!!” But is this to be meant  in a bad way? I don’t think so. Verse 1 tells us Jesus spake this parable because He wants us to be just like the importunate woman; therefore, we ought always be praying and not grow faint. We are to be PERSISTENT, annoying, overeager, importuante, etc. as pray-ers. The elect cry [speak/pray] day and night to the Lord! (vs 7)

Other scripture defends this call to action:

“Continue in prayer”  Col 4:2 (KJV)   and the (NIV) says “Devote yourself to prayer”

“Pray without ceasing”  1 Thess 5:17 (KJV)

How affirming to know that God delights in our continual prayers!! He expects to hear the cry of our hearts continually; persistently; without ceasing or growing faint. He longs to bear with us! And verse 8 promises that our persistence will pay off: “I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.”

When I was chatting with God this morning he placed the title “Agent of Change” on my heart. Curious and unfamiliar with this title I felt prompted to look it up in the dictionary. It’s not like I didn’t have a pretty good idea how to define the title myself but I could sense the importance of getting a specific definition and not just something I conjured up based on my own reason. Sure enough, it was in the dictionary! It is a business term, may also be referred to as a “change agent,” and carries this meaning:

somebody or something that brings about, or helps to bring about, change.

Okay, so now what??? I asked God a barrage of questions:

“Why have you put this on my heart?
“What is in need of change?”
“Why is there a need for change?”

The last and most frightening was…..

“God, are you calling me to be an Agent of Change?”

I don’t know why I even bothered asking God the last question because before it came all the way out of my mouth I somehow already knew the answer in my heart.

Yes.

That’s as much as I know right now. That’s as much as I NEED to know right now. God is preparing me for something where I am going to facilitate as an AGENT OF CHANGE. I don’t need to know all the details. Sure, I am curious.

Very curious

. Especially since just yesterday I read a part in Hosea 10:12 which says: “break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness on you.”. The unplowed hearts in the world need to be broken up and softened in order to soak up the showers of righteousness from the Lord. I remember asking God yesterday to use me to make this happen. Is it possible God wants to use me to help do this job?! What an honor! What a privelage for God to consider insignificant me as an AGENT OF CHANGE!!

How does God want to use you??

It all started with one simple phrase: “God wants to use you.” Do you believe it? Nine-year-old Austin Gutwein believed God wanted to use him, and before he could get a driver’s license or even watch a PG-13 movie God used him to impact the lives of thousands of Africans afflicted with HIV/AIDS with love, empathy and millions of dollars.

Because of Autin’s leap of faithful obedience, he became the founder of Hoops of Hope, a non-profit organization that uses free-throw shooting events to raise money for children in Africa who have been orphaned and afflicted with HIV/AIDS.

All because he faithfully heard and believed, “Austin, God wants to use you.”

Also woven into the book are introspective quotes and questions sure to challenge the reader (of any age) to ponder the ways in which God wants to use them. It also encourages the reader to “take their best shot” in life. A few ways in accomplishes this is through helping the reader consider other people, understanding meaningful priorities, perserverance, and discovering their personal passion in life. It is never too young to begin thinking about these things either. The younger, the better, if you ask me!

Though Take Your Best Shot is written with a young reader audience between the ages of 9 and 17 in mind (because it is written by young Austin Gutwein himself), it is a story that will touch the hearts of readers of all ages. God truly wants to use you. He wouldn’t have created us if he didn’t. Give God your A-game today. Just as Austin discovered, you won’t regret it and your live will never be the same!

THE GIVE-AWAY!!!!!

I’m giving away one copy of this book to one lucky person!!! If you’d like a chance to be the lucky one, leave a comment telling me why you want to win Take Your Best Shot by Austin Gutwein. Is it for you? For your son/daughter? I can’t wait to hear from you!! I will announce the winner on Sunday, Nov. 1st.

A Review By Shar Mohr

“Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark.”    — Henri Frederic Amiel

An Anything But Ordinary Journey follows Michael McCleary’s story as he pursues a dream of creating a TV series inspiring viewers to live their passion. McCleary succeeds at this task by taking viewers along for the unpredictable and inspiring ride pursuing his dream and through the incredible lives he intersects with along the way. Among these inspiring individuals are a former GM executive turned coach, the first blogger, a doctor with a serious illness, a famous actor seeking redemption, a man told by his doctors he wouldn’t live past the age of 30, a rock musician who finds peace at a monastery and many more. It will be extremely easy to find yourself emotionally invested in these extraordinary lives by the end of the film.

What makes these ordinary folks so extraordinary isn’t their circumstances. It isn’t their careers. It is their passion. Passion which became the catalyst in forming their extraordinary stories and lives. Though each person is passionate different things, the constant in each of their lives is the longing for their individual meaning, understanding, and purpose. During the interview process McCleary explores change, success, perseverance, and faith and tremendous impact these factors have when discovering one’s passion and purpose. An Anything But Ordinary Journey is sure to challenge audiences to take an inventory of their own ordinary life, hopefully leading them to pursue the extraordinary possibilities awaiting them.

To view clips, learn more about the film, find upcoming shows, and meet the filmmakers Mike McCleary and Casey Turner go to: http://anythingbutordinary.net/

http://www.mtv.com/ontv/woodieawards/2009/good-woodie/

or go to:   http://www.twloha.com/ to vote !!!!!

Why TO WRITE LOVE ON HER ARMS has a special place in my heart:

Depression/anxiety, Self-Injury, Addiction, and Suicide are very important issues that have affected me (and most of us if we’re honest). To Write Love On Her Arms strives to raises awarenes (and funding/support of suicide and addiction related organizations) of these very seriously, often untreated issues.

Despression and anxiety have been an issue for me for years and also haven’t discriminated against me since I became a Christian.  People think that becoming a Christian is a quick cure-all solution to all life’s pain. But the Bible is clear in explaining the world we live in isn’t any longer the way God intended it to be since the Fall. The Good News of the Bible is the promise God has to restore this depraved world and to restore and redeem those who choose to do His Will through Christ and His Holy Spirit. God’s love and promises are my hope and strength to help me endure my struggle with depression and anxiety, as well as, sharing my struggles and hopes with others dealing with the same battles.

Just remember. You’re not alone. And there is help from God and His Word (the Bible), therapists, suppport groups, etc.

Here’s a few quotes and information bits from the TO WRITE LOVE ON HER ARMS website (emphasis mine):

We live in a difficult world, a broken world.  My friend Byron is very smart – he says that life is hard for most people most of the time.  We believe that everyone can relate to pain, that all of us live with questions, and all of us get stuck in moments.  You need to know that you’re not alone in the places you feel stuck. 

We all wake to the human condition.  We wake to mystery and beauty but also to tragedy and loss.  Millions of people live with problems of pain.  Millions of homes are filled with questions – moments and seasons and cycles that come as thieves and aim to stay.  We know that pain is very real.  It is our privilege to suggest that hope is real, and that help is real. 

You need to know that rescue is possible, that freedom is possible, that God is still in the business of redemption.  We’re seeing it happen.  We’re seeing lives change as people get the help they need.  People sitting across from a counselor for the first time.  People stepping into treatment.  In desperate moments, people calling a suicide hotline.  We know that the first step to recovery is the hardest to take.  We want to say here that it’s worth it, that your life is worth fighting for, that it’s possible to change. 

Here’s a quotation from Renee’s story from their website:

“We often ask God to show up. We pray prayers of rescue. Perhaps God would ask us to be that rescue, to be His body, to move for things that matter. He is not invisible when we come alive. I might be simple but more and more, I believe God works in love, speaks in love, is revealed in our love. I have seen that this week and honestly, it has been simple: Take a broken girl, treat her like a famous princess, give her the best seats in the house. Buy her coffee and cigarettes for the coming down, books and bathroom things for the days ahead. Tell her something true when all she’s known are lies. Tell her God loves her. Tell her about forgiveness, the possibility of freedom, tell her she was made to dance in white dresses. All these things are true.”

People spend a lot of time shopping. I try to spend as little time possible shopping. (I am not your typical female shopper.) I go in then get out. Badda-bing! Badda-boom! Why even go into a store if there is nothing in it I want or need? This is why companies implement advertising and marketing strategies, doing everything possible to inform people of the necessity of their product, a surefire way to get people in the stores. It wouldn’t make sense for companies to just stock shelves of stores and simply hope and pray people come in.

Is that what Christians in Huron County are doing? Simply sitting around with shelves stocked with the knowledge of God, hoping and praying for people to come in? It seems that way. Some towns have as many as 4 churches to accommodate their small rural population. Local Christian organizations are buying up property left and right to house youth groups and other Christian activities. There are plenty of places in Huron County to get information about God and Christianity YET fewer and fewer people feel the necessity for God in their life. I doubt more buildings and facilities (even with the best intentions) are the key to reaching the lost in Huron County!!

What if the “business” of evangelism was approached more like the marketing strategy aforementioned? People, whether they choose to believe it or not, are “shopping” for God/religion/faith/etc. We must “advertise” the Christian life through our lives and by demonstrating our faith through relationships with others in our community. We must spend more time informing people about the necessity of reconciliation with God through Christ Jesus. Otherwise, there is no need for people to bother coming in to any of the local churches or other fancy buildings “selling” God if they don’t first see their need for Him in their life.