Here we are, on the eve of Christmas. So much to celebrate, so little time.
Slowly, I have come to understand that Christmas is not just about celebrating the birth of Jesus, but to celebrate the joy of anticipation of his second coming. Maybe you already knew that - but I'm a little new at this, and the discoveries of God's miracles are still popping up everywhere.
And with that group of people trying to take "Christ" out of Christmas - well, it's not working! I've heard more "Merry Christmas" wishes when I'm out and about than ever before. I've seen polite drivers and patient people at the stores. I've seen smiles on the faces of people who don't have much to celebrate, and I've seen our Angel Tree at church stripped of the cards with present ideas and the space under the tree stuffed.
And isn't that just like God? to take a bad situation and turn it around?
My prayer for today...
Lord Jesus, Happy Birthday! Your life and your devotion to your Father have turned the world upside down. I praise you for your love you have gifted us with, for the sacraments, and for the church. I pray that you bless all who believe in you with a special Christmas blessing; whether it be a feeling of joy, contact from distant family, or a fresh blanket of snow; may all those gifts be recognized as coming from you.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Prayer Power, Activate!
Do you remember watching Super Friends on Saturday morning? I'm probably aging myself here, but there were twin super heroes who had rings, and would call out, "Wonder twin powers, Activate!" and their super powers would...well, activate.
I had an experience that reminded me of that, but this time, I felt the power of Christ shun the nettling efforts of Satan.
I lead a bible study for post-abortive women. That first phone call they make to me is never easy, so I enter those conversations gently. Last week, a woman called and as I tried to encourage her, the phone dropped the call. I was so worried that she would take that as a 'sign' that she didn't need to attend the bible study, so I called her back quickly. Four times the phone dropped our call. The fifth time I called her back, she wisely said, "I know what's happening. We need to renounce Satan right now. He's trying to trick me into not attending this study." She prayed to God to take away Satan's influence over our conversation, gave God the glory, and thanked Him for our conversation.
And guess what?...the phone never dropped the call again.
The power of prayer! Amazing!
I had an experience that reminded me of that, but this time, I felt the power of Christ shun the nettling efforts of Satan.
I lead a bible study for post-abortive women. That first phone call they make to me is never easy, so I enter those conversations gently. Last week, a woman called and as I tried to encourage her, the phone dropped the call. I was so worried that she would take that as a 'sign' that she didn't need to attend the bible study, so I called her back quickly. Four times the phone dropped our call. The fifth time I called her back, she wisely said, "I know what's happening. We need to renounce Satan right now. He's trying to trick me into not attending this study." She prayed to God to take away Satan's influence over our conversation, gave God the glory, and thanked Him for our conversation.
And guess what?...the phone never dropped the call again.
The power of prayer! Amazing!
Friday, December 18, 2009
The Importance of Accountability
With Christmas approaching, all of my bible studies are suspended until January. At first that seemed like a good idea. For months now, I've been reading the bible, attending mass a few times a week, praying the roasary...you know, being a good Catholic.
Well...it seems that without my bible studies, I'm lost once again to the pressures of commercial holiday fever. I've fretted over Christmas presents yet to purchase, my bible is collecting dust, my rosary has made itself comfortable at the bottom of my purse, and worst of all, I haven't prayed like I should - like I want to.
And all this goes to prove that I need my Christian friends to keep my accountable. Without their prayers and presence in my life, I fall to the dark side.
In a previous post, I mentioned that I was attending daily mass throughout Advent as a means to prepare for the coming of the Lord. I lied! I haven't gone - whether because of colds, being out of town, or just plain laziness, I've neglected mass.
Sigh.
So, Lord, I pray that today my actions please you. I pray for you to be kind when you think of me and hear my prayer for forgiveness for the promises I made and did not keep. You are perfect in your Word, and I am flawed. Your Son came to us to bring us salvation, to save us from our sins - and while I have accepted Your Son as my Saviour, I continue to fail in my faith. I am reminded how easy it is to slip beneath the waters of this culture, to swallow toxic holiday stress and find myself dying a commerical death.
And I pray for all those who read this, that they find You in their day and take time today to be with You. And I ask that you watch over my sisters, keep them safe and encourage them to spend time with you in Your Word until we can meet again in the new year.
Amen!
Well...it seems that without my bible studies, I'm lost once again to the pressures of commercial holiday fever. I've fretted over Christmas presents yet to purchase, my bible is collecting dust, my rosary has made itself comfortable at the bottom of my purse, and worst of all, I haven't prayed like I should - like I want to.
And all this goes to prove that I need my Christian friends to keep my accountable. Without their prayers and presence in my life, I fall to the dark side.
In a previous post, I mentioned that I was attending daily mass throughout Advent as a means to prepare for the coming of the Lord. I lied! I haven't gone - whether because of colds, being out of town, or just plain laziness, I've neglected mass.
Sigh.
So, Lord, I pray that today my actions please you. I pray for you to be kind when you think of me and hear my prayer for forgiveness for the promises I made and did not keep. You are perfect in your Word, and I am flawed. Your Son came to us to bring us salvation, to save us from our sins - and while I have accepted Your Son as my Saviour, I continue to fail in my faith. I am reminded how easy it is to slip beneath the waters of this culture, to swallow toxic holiday stress and find myself dying a commerical death.
And I pray for all those who read this, that they find You in their day and take time today to be with You. And I ask that you watch over my sisters, keep them safe and encourage them to spend time with you in Your Word until we can meet again in the new year.
Amen!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Writing for a Purpose
Where does my desire to write come from? (Or, more grammatically, “From where does my desire to write come?) There is something romantic about writing; something permanent about putting words to paper. There are stories in my head that scream to be formed with ink, journals that call to be filled with the moments of my day, papers that are sadly blank unless I fill them with words. There is something in the formation of sentences that fills a need within me, as though I’m making beauty out of words, pulling emotions from minds and setting them on paper.
It’s been almost ten years since I started writing. It’s a choice – to be a writer. But for me, it wasn’t a huge step. I love to read, I love to watch people, I love poetry. Picking up a pen and giving writing a try was a natural step. It also gave me excuses to read everything I could – it’s research; excuses to buy bigger purses – I need to always have a notebook with me; reasons to find quiet places and time alone to ponder, pray, and explore.
There is a strong tendency to mark the success of a writer with publication; good writers are successful and rich, right? I strongly disagree! Good writers don’t give up. Good writers continually have a need to discover the world through literature, through words, through ink. Good writers write bad sentences – and then play with the words until they sound right, until the emotion we want to evoke is standing right there on the page. Good writers write every day, write when it hurts, write before the sun comes up and long after it goes down, and every possible moment in between.
The only difference between a good writer and a published writer? Luck. It’s the old “right place at the right time” story.
That luck has happened in small ways for me – little stories that my mom loves, stories that appear in local Catholic newspapers, one poem in an online magazine. But I’m oozing with luck when it comes to what writing offers me. I have time alone to study my world and life, to dissect it and understand the workings of people. How is that lucky? People don’t scare me. Emotions I experience are more easily understood as I study them through writing. Life isn’t as scary as it used to be.
For example, a few months ago I hit a wall with my writing. I tend to work on several projects at once, and all of them stalled for me. I would sit with my notebook or computer and nothing would come. I referred to my notes, and still, the words for the scenes I knew I had to write avoided me. My husband suffered through this with me and finally came up with the idea that I should go back and check my research.
It worked.
Now, when I’m frustrated, when I’ve hit a wall with my writing, with my faith walk, or with homeschooling, he reminds me to “Go back to my research”. For writing, that may mean mythology books or research on Alzheimer’s; but mostly I’m drawn to the Bible.
And when I think about it, it’s the perfect “research foundation” for all of us. The Bible, with its stories and poetry and history, is a literary masterpiece. There is always something God wants to say to us – the Bible is our direct line to Him. Sometimes it’s the Magic 8 Ball – we pray a question to God, open the bible and receive our answer.
The romantic life of being a writer isn’t all ink-stained fingers and frazzled hair. For me, I want it to be a peaceful life, a table with my Bible and a notebook, quiet time with the Lord, and stories that might strengthen faith for others. I’m not concerned with publication success, for I don’t want that to pull me away from my faith walk, but I do hope that my writing will serve a purpose.
It’s been almost ten years since I started writing. It’s a choice – to be a writer. But for me, it wasn’t a huge step. I love to read, I love to watch people, I love poetry. Picking up a pen and giving writing a try was a natural step. It also gave me excuses to read everything I could – it’s research; excuses to buy bigger purses – I need to always have a notebook with me; reasons to find quiet places and time alone to ponder, pray, and explore.
There is a strong tendency to mark the success of a writer with publication; good writers are successful and rich, right? I strongly disagree! Good writers don’t give up. Good writers continually have a need to discover the world through literature, through words, through ink. Good writers write bad sentences – and then play with the words until they sound right, until the emotion we want to evoke is standing right there on the page. Good writers write every day, write when it hurts, write before the sun comes up and long after it goes down, and every possible moment in between.
The only difference between a good writer and a published writer? Luck. It’s the old “right place at the right time” story.
That luck has happened in small ways for me – little stories that my mom loves, stories that appear in local Catholic newspapers, one poem in an online magazine. But I’m oozing with luck when it comes to what writing offers me. I have time alone to study my world and life, to dissect it and understand the workings of people. How is that lucky? People don’t scare me. Emotions I experience are more easily understood as I study them through writing. Life isn’t as scary as it used to be.
For example, a few months ago I hit a wall with my writing. I tend to work on several projects at once, and all of them stalled for me. I would sit with my notebook or computer and nothing would come. I referred to my notes, and still, the words for the scenes I knew I had to write avoided me. My husband suffered through this with me and finally came up with the idea that I should go back and check my research.
It worked.
Now, when I’m frustrated, when I’ve hit a wall with my writing, with my faith walk, or with homeschooling, he reminds me to “Go back to my research”. For writing, that may mean mythology books or research on Alzheimer’s; but mostly I’m drawn to the Bible.
And when I think about it, it’s the perfect “research foundation” for all of us. The Bible, with its stories and poetry and history, is a literary masterpiece. There is always something God wants to say to us – the Bible is our direct line to Him. Sometimes it’s the Magic 8 Ball – we pray a question to God, open the bible and receive our answer.
The romantic life of being a writer isn’t all ink-stained fingers and frazzled hair. For me, I want it to be a peaceful life, a table with my Bible and a notebook, quiet time with the Lord, and stories that might strengthen faith for others. I’m not concerned with publication success, for I don’t want that to pull me away from my faith walk, but I do hope that my writing will serve a purpose.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Walking the Walk
It’s nearly official…Bill and I are going to be foster parents! There is a story here about listening to God, following His will, and altering the course of those plans. Bear with me.
After my second daughter was born, my doctor suggested I not have more children. I am diabetic (type 1) and pregnancy is very hard on my body. But, me being me, I didn’t listen. After delivering my third daughter (who weighed in at 10 lbs. 4 oz.) my doctor said, “Really, Jessica. Another baby might be your death.”
Even I can’t ignore that.
For a few years, I was content with three children. I’m blessed to have children, blessed to have healthy children, and further blessed to have the opportunity to homeschool them. But I always thought I would have more children. Five was the magic number for my husband and I. Five children, a house full of noise and toys and boys. What do I have? Neat little girls and giggling noises. I prayed to God, asking Him to take away the desire for more children. I figured that I shouldn’t feel that need if there was nothing I could do to have more children.
God spoke. Loudly! Later, when I turned on the TV, the very first thing was a commercial about adoption – a commercial I had never seen before, or since.
Yes, Lord. I’m listening!
I shared this with my husband and after much prayer, we decided that we needed to follow God’s plan for us. As we discussed this, the desire for more children grew stronger, but not a need for biological children, but for an adopted child; not a child of my flesh, but a child of my heart. I realized that I had prayed the wrong prayer – He didn’t take away my desire at all. He just presented a solution.
As we began the adoption process, I learned that our name doesn’t go on a list and when we are at the top of that list, we receive a child. Now, a vast majority of all adoptions are Open Adoptions – agreements in which the birth mother selects the family for her child, has options to remain in contact with that family, and receive monthly or annual letters and photos from the family.
No problem! I thought. We are a great family. Not too wealthy, not too poor. Just right. Well, it’s been a year and a half and we still haven’t been chosen. Physically, we don’t appeal to birthmothers. Our skin in too pale, our eyes too blue, our hair too blonde. Mothers of color don’t want their child to grow up the odd one out. And who can blame them? I would feel the same way.
After more prayer, God lead us to St. Vincent Catholic Charities and filled our hearts with a passion for foster care. He also introduced us to a woman at church who is a foster parent. And so we began a new journey.
The goal of foster care is to give loving care to a child while the parents sort out their difficulties. Our family goals are shifting from enlarging our own family, to working with other families so they might be reunited. Very different! But it feels right. Whereas before I was praying for birthmothers to chose us, to give up their child so that I might be more fulfilled, I’m now praying that we might be of service to God to strengthen families so they might come together again.
When I write it that way, I can see that my first prayer was selfish. How many other times did I pray for the wrong thing? Walking this faith walk is opening my eyes to God's ever-present voice (in His Word and on TV!) and how my own desires are in place for His glory.
After my second daughter was born, my doctor suggested I not have more children. I am diabetic (type 1) and pregnancy is very hard on my body. But, me being me, I didn’t listen. After delivering my third daughter (who weighed in at 10 lbs. 4 oz.) my doctor said, “Really, Jessica. Another baby might be your death.”
Even I can’t ignore that.
For a few years, I was content with three children. I’m blessed to have children, blessed to have healthy children, and further blessed to have the opportunity to homeschool them. But I always thought I would have more children. Five was the magic number for my husband and I. Five children, a house full of noise and toys and boys. What do I have? Neat little girls and giggling noises. I prayed to God, asking Him to take away the desire for more children. I figured that I shouldn’t feel that need if there was nothing I could do to have more children.
God spoke. Loudly! Later, when I turned on the TV, the very first thing was a commercial about adoption – a commercial I had never seen before, or since.
Yes, Lord. I’m listening!
I shared this with my husband and after much prayer, we decided that we needed to follow God’s plan for us. As we discussed this, the desire for more children grew stronger, but not a need for biological children, but for an adopted child; not a child of my flesh, but a child of my heart. I realized that I had prayed the wrong prayer – He didn’t take away my desire at all. He just presented a solution.
As we began the adoption process, I learned that our name doesn’t go on a list and when we are at the top of that list, we receive a child. Now, a vast majority of all adoptions are Open Adoptions – agreements in which the birth mother selects the family for her child, has options to remain in contact with that family, and receive monthly or annual letters and photos from the family.
No problem! I thought. We are a great family. Not too wealthy, not too poor. Just right. Well, it’s been a year and a half and we still haven’t been chosen. Physically, we don’t appeal to birthmothers. Our skin in too pale, our eyes too blue, our hair too blonde. Mothers of color don’t want their child to grow up the odd one out. And who can blame them? I would feel the same way.
After more prayer, God lead us to St. Vincent Catholic Charities and filled our hearts with a passion for foster care. He also introduced us to a woman at church who is a foster parent. And so we began a new journey.
The goal of foster care is to give loving care to a child while the parents sort out their difficulties. Our family goals are shifting from enlarging our own family, to working with other families so they might be reunited. Very different! But it feels right. Whereas before I was praying for birthmothers to chose us, to give up their child so that I might be more fulfilled, I’m now praying that we might be of service to God to strengthen families so they might come together again.
When I write it that way, I can see that my first prayer was selfish. How many other times did I pray for the wrong thing? Walking this faith walk is opening my eyes to God's ever-present voice (in His Word and on TV!) and how my own desires are in place for His glory.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Putting "Christ" Back in Christmas
Who else agrees that this title is scary? Who ever thought that Christ would be removed from his very own birthday? I’m trying to picture my birthday party without me; people coming together and giving each other gifts but not doing anything for me or because of me. Sounds ridiculous! Who would do that?
Well? Our culture for one. The arguments that “Merry Christmas” offends people offends me. Our nation is supposed to be the melting pot where everyone of every race and religion can find a place. But if Christ is not a part of that, we are offending the men who wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. We are casting careless insults in the faces of those martyred for the freedoms we take for granted.
So what am I doing about it, you ask? I would love to stand atop the White House and declare my Christian views. But who would listen to me? I’m just…me. But I can make a difference in the lives of my children. And maybe in writing this entry…you.
We are attending daily mass. The season of Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of Jesus – and for us in the time of A.D., the Second Coming of Jesus. In attending daily mass, in the daily forgiveness of sins and consumption of the Eucharist, I hope to ready myself both inside and out for his return and as a means to commemorate his birth.
My husband and I are scaling back the gifts this year too. The girls know they will still receive gifts, but there will not be anything extravagant. The greatest thing we will give our daughters is us. Time with us, conversations, cuddles, puzzles, game time, meal time – all family.
We are setting an extra plate at the table too; just for Jesus. It is his birthday after all! After we sing “Happy Birthday Dear Jesus!” and have cake and ice cream, we will continue the celebration in the reading of Luke’s Infancy Gospel.
We have our Advent Calendar and the Advent Wreath. We have our Christmas tree – covered with lights (because Jesus is the light of the world) and decorations (because through Jesus we are decorated with love and beauty).
If you have more ideas of ways to welcome Jesus to his own birthday party, please share them. It’s time to reclaim our Christian holiday from the retailers. It’s time to make a stand – if only in our own homes – that declares our love for the Lord and our thanks to him for his blood sacrifice.
Well? Our culture for one. The arguments that “Merry Christmas” offends people offends me. Our nation is supposed to be the melting pot where everyone of every race and religion can find a place. But if Christ is not a part of that, we are offending the men who wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. We are casting careless insults in the faces of those martyred for the freedoms we take for granted.
So what am I doing about it, you ask? I would love to stand atop the White House and declare my Christian views. But who would listen to me? I’m just…me. But I can make a difference in the lives of my children. And maybe in writing this entry…you.
We are attending daily mass. The season of Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of Jesus – and for us in the time of A.D., the Second Coming of Jesus. In attending daily mass, in the daily forgiveness of sins and consumption of the Eucharist, I hope to ready myself both inside and out for his return and as a means to commemorate his birth.
My husband and I are scaling back the gifts this year too. The girls know they will still receive gifts, but there will not be anything extravagant. The greatest thing we will give our daughters is us. Time with us, conversations, cuddles, puzzles, game time, meal time – all family.
We are setting an extra plate at the table too; just for Jesus. It is his birthday after all! After we sing “Happy Birthday Dear Jesus!” and have cake and ice cream, we will continue the celebration in the reading of Luke’s Infancy Gospel.
We have our Advent Calendar and the Advent Wreath. We have our Christmas tree – covered with lights (because Jesus is the light of the world) and decorations (because through Jesus we are decorated with love and beauty).
If you have more ideas of ways to welcome Jesus to his own birthday party, please share them. It’s time to reclaim our Christian holiday from the retailers. It’s time to make a stand – if only in our own homes – that declares our love for the Lord and our thanks to him for his blood sacrifice.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Where did November go?
Yikes. Time really escaped me. I have to laugh, though. August, September and October were some of my busiest months - ever. November has been nice and quiet. Even with Thanksgiving and all the traveling we did, I feel rested. My blogging, however, fell to the wayside. I'm amazed at how much more in tune I am with writing when I'm busy.
I started this blog as a means to keep myself focused on the Renewal I experienced at the CRHP Retreat - to stay accountable to God in my daily bible readings, to ensure that my daughters are fed a healthy serving of His Word each day. The feeling I had after that weekend was so powerful, so wonderful (and exhausting), that I wanted to save it in a jar; that way I could open it up, spill it all over the floor, examine each piece and find that feeling again.
Continual Conversion. That's what I'm trying to accomplish here. With the daily grind, the constant cultural attacks, and my own human-nature, I cannot survive if I don't seek continual conversion. That's not easy - but it's not impossible, either.
I will be writing more about this soon, but for now, I'm praying for you - that you find comfort in God's plan for your life instead of seeking comfort in the ease of cultural temptations.
I started this blog as a means to keep myself focused on the Renewal I experienced at the CRHP Retreat - to stay accountable to God in my daily bible readings, to ensure that my daughters are fed a healthy serving of His Word each day. The feeling I had after that weekend was so powerful, so wonderful (and exhausting), that I wanted to save it in a jar; that way I could open it up, spill it all over the floor, examine each piece and find that feeling again.
Continual Conversion. That's what I'm trying to accomplish here. With the daily grind, the constant cultural attacks, and my own human-nature, I cannot survive if I don't seek continual conversion. That's not easy - but it's not impossible, either.
I will be writing more about this soon, but for now, I'm praying for you - that you find comfort in God's plan for your life instead of seeking comfort in the ease of cultural temptations.
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