Decorations Go, Emmanuel Stays

I love decorating for Christmas.

It feels wonderful to add decorations, greenery and lights,

to make my home sparkle and glow for the holidays weeks.

I don't love un-decorating for Christmas.

It feels a little frustrating to repack decorations, greenery and lights,

and return my home to normal after the holiday weeks.

Last year I did a major re-organization with my Christmas decor.

You know that elusive quest to

"have a place for everything,

and have everything in its place?"

This system of new boxes, clearly labeled,  worked well.

It was easy to return things where they belonged.

The cards didn't work so well. 

They didn't mail themselves,

and are still in the cool box I packed them in.

This year I added another small project to my life as I repacked the boxes.

Fragile things were given their own containers.

I used to just wrap decor in a lot of plastic bags,

but I decided I needed a system that was so organized,

it almost packed itself back up.

Besides, these little flocked trees didn't come out so well this year.

They were kinda crunched.

I used Quaker Oats containers and wrapping paper.

It kinda' bubbled, scrapbook paper probably would have worked better.

Sets of things were also given their own containers.

I bought these gorgeous babies in the 75% clearance sale

after Christmas sale at a Goodwill.

Next year can't come soon enough to pull out these beauties again!

This box came with some kind of food in it,

and worked perfectly for the angels.

Now, they have their own home.

Many of the nice, sturdy boxes that gifts came in,

were re-purposed for specific decorations.

I didn't decorate all the boxes,

that can always happen later.

We left up only the greenery and the lights on top of the windows

and the snowflakes on the windows and hanging in the house.

I like to leave up a little cheer throughout the long winter month of January.

We'll wait for better weather to take the outside lights off the house.

For the most part, the symbols of Christmas are packed away,

but there's something I never pack into the attic.

Emmanuel, God with Us,

is still residing in my heart,

as He has since He saved me in October, 1982.

Since the beginning of time,

mankind has made up rituals to try to appease and

seek the presence of the God of Heaven, 

 reaching up to Him in ways He did not create or condone.

They ignore the fact that He brought Heaven to earth,

through the birth of His Son,

to bring us from earth to Heaven,

through faith in His Son.

It is so simple and so beautiful.

Day by day,

in any season,

in any place,

we celebrate

Emmanuel

God

With

Us.

Is Emmanuel

still in your home?

**************

MM Meditation - God Uses Broken Things

Since we got married, I have kept piles of broken things that need to be repaired.  Things that need tools are stacked on my husband's workbench in the garage.  Things that need to be mended are put in my sewing cabinet.  Things that just need a little tinkering are put in my craft area.

These things all have one thing in common - they can't be used until they are fixed.  Once, when my husband was extremely busy and the pile was too big, I actually sold the broken items at my garage sale for $1 with a tongue-in-cheek sign, "The Honey Didn't Do."  I was not surprised that many of the fixable items were purchased. People love to restore good items to usability.

When things can't be fixed, they must be thrown out.  Raised by generations of frugal-fixers, this bothers me.  For me to throw something out, it has to be in pretty rough shape.

The Lord's policy is different, He doesn't throw out broken things, He uses them.


Leonard Ravenhill, in Why Revival Tarries, said, "God only uses broken things.  For example, Jesus took the lad's bread and brake it; then and only then, could it feed the crowd.

The alabaster box was broken' only then could its fragrance escape and fill the house -- and the world. 

Jesus said, "This is My body which was broken for you."  If such was the way the Master went, should not the servant tread it still? 

We need to be broken first to be used.

Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,

A broken and a contrite heart—

These, O God, You will not despise.

A heart needs to be broken in conviction because of our sin against a holy God.

Because of His broken body, we can be forgiven and redeemed.

Like Mary, we can break the boxes that hold the oil of our worship.

Then, He can break the bread of service we offer, and multipy it to the people.

Because, the Lord uses broken things.

**********

Everlasting Love

by DeGarmo and Key

When tender hearts hold broken dreams,

Somehow You use broken things,

To teach those tender hearts to sing,

Of everlasting love.

When all around is cold & gray,

The ice soon melts, the gray soon fades,

Your Spirit takes them all away,

In everlasting love.

I can't repay your love,

That's understood.

I'll try each day, my Lord,

To do all I know I should.

When days are filled with trials and tests,

You turn those troubled times to rest,

Through it all my life is blessed,

With everlasting love.

Keeping Company with Jonah and Elijah

Sometimes, LIFE creeps up behind me with a baseball bat

 and knocks me behind the knees.

This week, I felt like one of the elderly people for the Life Alert

 commercial who are calling out from their  old linoleum floor, 

"I've fallen, and I can't get up!"

Things were going fine and then

~WHAM~

  things weren't so fine.

I had an issue with a kid,

 but it wasn't as serious as some of the things we've handled.

There was a lot of work to do,

but I had the strength and ability to do it.

I experienced several inconveniences and setbacks,

but nothing drastic.

Crazy hormones can be a reason, but not an excuse.

I was troubled when reviewing my previous year

for a potential blog.

I realized that all the troubles that begin 2010,

the water damage to my floor and the cancer,

are still unresolved.

The new year started with the SAME problems.

The floor expanded with the heat in July, heaved like a tee-pee,

and had to be repaired.

Now, the extreme cold is causing it to contract,

and the seams are widening.

People with a lot of children spilling food,

don't want wide cracks between their floorboards.

The new dishwasher, installed after the leaky one was removed,

had a pile of broken plastic underneath it.

It didn't last six months.

The cancer tumors are still there,

but the higher dosage of thyroid hormone,

and the Lord's restraining hand,

are keeping them from growing.

  

My life circumstances hadn't changed that much,

just my ability to handle them.

As I was experiencing lack of faith in my life,

the Lord reminded me I was in good company.

 I was whining like Jonah, more concerned about a vine than souls....

(after bringing a city to her knees in repentance)

 I was trembling like Elijah, who feared one godless woman...

(after challenging the prophets of Baal and WINNING!)

In the midst of my grief,

 I acknowledged the best part of being knocked from behind,

is being brought to your knees.

So, like Jonah and Elijah,

I repented for my lack of faith.

Then, I praised the God of Heaven

who is going to carry me through another year.

WHO???

 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

WHAT???

who comforts us

WHEN???

 in ALL our tribulation,

WHY???

that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble,

with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Because that's what He does best.

He restores what the locust has eaten,

He makes beauty out of ashes,

He makes crooked things straight.

He heals the brokenhearted,

He binds up the wounded,

He makes the blind to see.

He gives hope to the hopeless,

love to the unloved,

faith to the faithless.

He saves us,

changes us,

blesses us.

He

loves

us.

Can I hear an AMEN?

Praise His Holy Name!

Back into the Swing of School

I'm a little slow on the start, but I am out of the starting block.

A few stumbles, like I am tripping over untied shoelaces,

but I am moving forward.

One of my 2011 blogging goals is to blog weekly

at my home school blog -

hOmE tEaChEd.

Maybe I'll even get a blog button that says something

extremely clever like

tUeSdAyS aT

hOmE tEaChEd.

After 17 or so years of teaching,

I should have something to say,

if I remember...

and can stay awake long enough at night to blog...

or I can endure seventeen-eleven interruptions...

'member when they used to count that way?

Join me today as we work through

borrowing...

Plunging into the New Year

Since my living room once again looks like Christmas threw up all over it,

I am still using Nan's words,

and life goes on no matter how much laundry

and how little groceries you have,

I had to jump into the new year with both feet.

Growing up, I never was the bold just-jump-right-in kinda girl.

I was the, stick-your-toes-in and get used to it,

then, wade up to your ankles, then your knees kinda girl.

Sometimes, at that point, I would be so traumatized by the cold lake water,

 it's melted snow in Montana, ya' know,

I would get back out,

then have to start the toe-dipping all over again.

When we went swimming in the Helena Municipal Pool,

try saying that with half your baby teeth missing,

I tried the high dive a few times.

I bravely climbed the tall ladder,

that was the easy part,

slowly walked to the edge of the diving board.

Just writing about this I am getting worried and dizzy.

Then, I would stand there,

barely daring to look down,

and trying to muster enough bravery to jump.

Once, I tried to walk back. 

The lifeguard blew the whistle and hollered at me.

Then, the other kids chimed in. 

 

I had no choice, I HAD to jump.

It wasn't horrible, and I didn't die,

so I went back a few more times.

It never was FUN for me, but I got used to it.

Monday, I had no choice. 

I had to jump, there's no climbing back down the ladder of life.

Christmas had to come down,

school had to start.

There was no time to dibble-dabble my toes in the shallow edges
 of responsibility before taking the plunge.

I waded right in, shuddering a bit at the difference in temperature.

But, like most, I enjoy school, I enjoy routine,

and I enjoy how big my house feels when Christmas is back in the attic.

I'm renewed to clean, sort and organize the dismal winter months away.

My sewing machine is back up in the corner,

we're back to scrounging the house for sharp pencils

(why didn't I put some in the stockings!?!?!?!?)

and we're back to eating normal things for meals,

instead of the Norwegian breakfasts of coffee and cOOkies.

(you pronounce the oo's  long and accented)

I took the plunge into the new year and I get the feeling

 that by the time I come up for air,

I'll be gasping in summer air.

MM Meditation - Prayer Grasps Eternity

The following exerpt is merely a few powerful paragraphs from the second chapter of

Leonard Ravenhill's Why Revival Tarries. 

It's a book you won't be able to put down,

and it's a book that'll put you down on your knees.

**********

No man is greater than his prayer life. 

The pastor who is not praying is playing;

the people who are not praying are straying. 

The pulpit can be a shopwindow to display one's talents;

the prayer closet allows no showing off.

Poverty-stricken as the Church is today in many things,

she is most stricken here, in the place of prayer. 

We have many organizers, but few agonizers;

many players and payers, few pray-ers;

 many singers, few clingers;

lots of pastors, few wrestlers;

many fears, few tears;

much fashion, little passion;

many interferers, few intercessors;

many writers, but few fighters.

Failing here, we fail everywhere.

(When you read this, if you were like me,

you thought of some Christian you know

for each criticism.

Then also be like me, go back and re-read this list,

thinking only of yourself.

Finney, another great revivalist preacher,

knew that revival starts with only one person -

we each are that one person.)

The secret of praying is praying in secret.

A sinning man will stop praying,

and a praying man will stop sinning.

We are beggared and bankrupt,

but not broken, nor even bent.

Prayer is profoundly simple and simply profound.

**********

1 Thessalonians 5:17

 Pray without ceasing.

James 5:16
Confess your trespasses to one another,

and pray for one another, that you may be healed.

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Romans 12:12

 ...rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;

**********

500th...

A few years ago,
I started a new journey in life,
one that tested my faith,
my endurance,
my sleep,
my purpose in life,
and my knowledge in the Scriptures.

It also gave me much joy,
fulfillment,
new friends,
prayer support
and laughs.

Today, the new journey reached the milestone -

The number 500 was significant to Noah

because that's his age when he became a father

to Shem, Ham and Japeth.

These four men went on to build the Ark,

a beautiful old testament picture of salvation through Jesus Christ.

The number 500 was significant to  Moses

because the Lord commanded him to make

holy anointing oil,

including the measured ingredients of

using 500 shekels of liquid myrrh

and  500 shekels of cassia.
It was to anoint the tabernacle
and Aaron and his sons,
in ministering worship to the Lord God.

An oil of myrrh, aloes and cassia was used to
anoint the Lord Jesus unto His death,
after He came out of his ivory palaces
to this world of woe.

The number 500 was significant to Ezekiel,

because it was the measurement of the outer court of the Temple,

the wall that separated the holy from the common area.

This signifies the separation of the sacred and the secular

in our own Christian lives.

We are to be in the world, but not of the world.

The number 500 was significant to the man

who had a debt of 500 denarii forgiven.

It is the measure of forgiveness,

and should be equaled to the measure of our love.
He who is forgiven much, loves much.

500 is significant  in studying numbers in  the Scripture.

5 x 100 = 500

5 is the number of grace.

100 is also called hundredfold,

the measurement of the fruit born by a mature Christian.

It's also the measure of blessings restored and reaped in Heaven

for desires and privileges denied Christians while on earth.

This number is also significant to me,
this is my 500th blog.


I am humbled and blessed by the faithfulness of the Lord
for this journey.
I am equally humbled and blessed by the faithfulness
of friends, relatives and fellow bloggers
who have supported me by
 reading my blog,
encouraging me and
praying for me.


As I continue to write in this new year,
I am praying that I will out pour
grace
a
hundredfold.