My Basket of Christmas Goodies

Merry Christmas Friends,

If you are like me, this month is too busy. We forget where we put our favorite recipes. We forget to have our prayer time (the whole reason for the season) or don’t spend as much time meditating on God’s word as we need to. We may have grand plans, but time just seems to speed up and the tasks multiply at a mind-numbing speed. And before we know it, the new year has begun, and the rat race has started all over. 

In my quiet time, I have been asking the Lord to restore unto me the joy of His salvation so that it can overflow into the people I interact with, including the grocery clerk, the “customer service” people on the other end of the phone (This one may be the hardest. They can’t see my eyes rolling, but God does.) my neighbors, my children, my parents, and my husband. I hate it when I get irritable and respond without grace to any of the above.  

Here are some of the ways I love to worship even in the midst of a crazy busy season:

  • Get up early and turn on the Christmas lights and have time with Jesus while the house is quiet.
  • Watch a sunrise or sunset.
  • Every time I see a Nativity scene, I thank God for giving us His son. 
  • Listen to the accounts of the Nativity in Matthew and Luke on the Audio Bible App 
  • If I am feeling lonely, I reach out to someone who needs some love.

What do you do to remember the reason for the season? I would love to hear from you. 

If you were to visit my home right now, you may be served leftovers or cheese and crackers. But they would be good leftovers. What I have to offer you here are some good leftovers from the past few years of blogs. If you wondered about any of the recipes I have shared before, they are in one of these links. If you need to get your heart focused on the true meaning of Christmas, there are some good reflections below. 

Whatever you are doing today, I encourage you to slow down. Take a deep breath. Remember the beauty of what Jesus did for us by coming as a baby, living as a human, dying on the cross, and being raised from the dead to give us all new life. 

Meditations on Christmas: 

What Are You Doing to Prepare for Advent

https://kerilynnwillis.com/2022/11/30/what-are-you-doing-to-prepare-for-advent/

Seeing His Splendor and Majesty in Christmas

https://kerilynnwillis.com/2022/12/07/splendor-and-majesty-2/

Mary Knew What God Was Asking of Her and She Still Said “May it be unto me as you have said.”

https://kerilynnwillis.com/2022/12/12/did-mary-know/

God has Given us a Gift; We Only Need to Receive it.

https://kerilynnwillis.com/2021/12/07/open-the-box/

Recipes and Reflections of Christmases Past:

https://kerilynnwillis.com/2020/11/17/scones-skivers-and-hospitality/

https://kerilynnwillis.com/2020/11/23/scones-skivers-and-hospitality-part-two/

https://kerilynnwillis.com/2022/05/05/grandmas-cranberries-and-cinnamon-rolls/

Note: I am not using the Bridgeford frozen bread dough anymore as their recipe has changed. Here is a link to a yummy bread dough that works great for the cinnamon rolls. https://smittenkitchen.com/2021/10/old-school-dinner-rolls/

https://kerilynnwillis.com/2022/05/06/grandmas-cranberries-cinnamon-rolls-part-ii/

Have a blessed Christmas. See you here in the New Year. 

Epidemic of Loneliness A Biblical Response

He will place the lonely in families…

It should come as no surprise, that on the heels of the pandemic, in which we were institutionally isolated, there is another crisis looming. The epidemic is loneliness. It is such a predicament that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued an advisory with steps that we should take to combat the impact of this potentially deadly malady. You can read the whole advisory here, but a word of warning, it is eighty pages long and might leave you feeling sad or even… lonely.

Surgeon General’s Advisory on Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation – PDF

The Holiday season is notoriously one of the loneliest times of the year. But it does not only reserve the months of November and December to wreak havoc in the lives and hearts of people throughout the world. It is a plague that can assault us at strategic and unexpected times in our daily lives. 

It is a weapon in the hands of the Enemy, but it is a powerful invitation from the Almighty to run to Him and be held in His comforting embrace. 

Note: At the time I first wrote this article, the Surgeon General had not released his study or recommendations. I have, since, included some of his information on the subject and how we as a church and individual believers should respond. 

I don’t want to get too preachy here or even remotely political, but this loneliness is a direct result of the destruction of the fabric of our society, faith and family.

Throughout history, the core of our social functioning has been the nuclear and extended family and our church families. And throughout history, the Enemy as struck out at these institutions with vehemence. 

In my woeful thinking, it has NEVER been this bad. But if you study history, really it has been worse. The difference, I think, is the masking of this “crisis” by the use of all forms of media. 

Social Media would make us believe that individual worlds are all rosy, while mainstream media is clear that the whole world is going to hell in a handbasket. Why can’t we just all tell the truth? This may be a redundant question, but the answer is, because very few know The Truth (John 8:32). Truth has become relative and so people have become like waves tossed about on the ocean. 

Loneliness is not a new struggle. 

In my senior year at a large Christian college, I was a dorm prayer leader. I had a regular group of eight to ten college girls who would come to my room twice a week for devotions and prayer. Twice a year the leaders would choose a topic and the girls could go to whichever prayer group with the topic they thought would be most beneficial to them.

I was speaking on loneliness. There were ten groups and a total of seventy to eighty girls in the dorm. I expected maybe five or six to show up. After all, how could someone be lonely in a dorm of eighty residents, at a Christian college with upwards of 4,000 professing Christians? 

Twenty girls showed up to my relatively small dorm room. They were sitting on my roommates’ beds, on the floor, on the sink and desks. I had to turn girls away and do a second session. Every one of those girls expressed that they were in the loneliest season of their lives. 

The prophet, Elijah, running for his life, cried out to God, “I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.” I Kings 19 It was in his utter loneliness and despair that he heard God’s still small voice, a whispered assurance the God cared and that he was, in fact, not alone.

Can you imagine how lonely Job was when his friends pummeled him emotionally and his wife told him to curse God and die?

Can you imagine how lonely Jesus was in the garden and His disciples fell asleep when He needed their support the most, or when Peter completely denied even knowing Him?

In his report, the Surgeon General has a list of recommendations to combat this epidemic. As believers and as the church, we should know, the Great Physician has already given us the remedy. The six recommendations by the Surgeon General are listed below with some ideas on how we as believers and as a church can respond. 

Strengthen Social Infrastructure:

The Surgeon General:

 “Connections are not just influenced by individual interactions, but by the physical elements of a community (parks, libraries, playgrounds) and the programs and policies in place. To strengthen social infrastructure, communities must design environments that promote connection, establish and scale community connection programs, and invest in institutions that bring people together.”

The Great Physician:

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NLT)

Throughout Scripture, we are encouraged to weave a community so that we will not be easily shaken. Throughout history much of that support system was the church being the hands and feet of Jesus. 

The church as a whole is facing a new challenge. We may have become weary in well doing and have dropped the responsibility of our “neighbor’s” well-being (spiritual, emotional, and physical) fall into the hands of the government and healthcare industry. That, my friends, is a scary thought. 

Even as I am writing this, I am convicted and challenged as to how I am caring for my “neighbor.” How am I staying connected? How am I helping provide for their needs? What structures or outreaches is my church doing to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our hurting world?

Enact Pro-Connection Public Policies:

The Surgeon General

 “National, state, local, and tribal governments play a role in establishing policies like accessible public transportation or paid family leave that can support and enable more connection among a community or a family.”

The Great Physician:

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Hebrews 10:23-25 (NLT)

Our churches (and the individuals within our churches) need to be drawing people in to encourage them and motivate them. We need to rely on the gifts He has given us to minister within the body of Christ and outside of our church walls. We need to love on the widows and orphans (James 1:27), welcome the hurting and lonely (Matthew 22:8-10) and feed the hungry (Matthew 25:35-36).

Mobilize the Health Sector:

The Surgeon General:

 “Because loneliness and isolation are risk factors for several major health conditions (including heart disease, dementia, depression) as well as for premature death, health care providers are well-positioned to assess patients for risk of loneliness and intervene.”

The Great Physician:

A cheerful heart is good medicine,
    but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. Proverbs 17:22 (NLT)

We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said,
    “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.” Psalm 126:2 (NLT)

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)

God places the lonely in families… Psalm 68:6

The National Library on Medicine has written a lengthy piece on the benefits of laughter.  You can read it here: The Laughter Prescription.

The Great Physician knew we would need to laugh when He created us. The best thing about laughter as a prescription is that it is free, needs no prior authorization, produces immediate results of uplifted spirits, physical energy and renewal, and it actually lowers blood pressure. 

The health care industry does not prescribe laughter, and it certainly does not make me laugh! But have you ever been with friends and had to sit down right on the ground because you were laughing so hard? I have, and I know that laughter is just what I needed to “feel better.” 

Reform Digital Environments:

The Surgeon General

 “We must critically evaluate our relationship with technology and ensure that how we interact digitally does not detract from meaningful and healing connection with others.”

The Great Physician:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer… Psalm 19:14 (NLT)

Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. Ephesians 4:29b

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct. Galatians 6:4-5

Countless friendships have been ruined by thoughtless words on social media. Families have been divided. Unfair comparisons are made, and jealous thoughts perpetuated. People of all ages, all over the world are addicted to TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and other media outlets that falsely fuel self-worth or self-loathing. 

There is an old saying, “You can’t legislate morality.” And really, it is true. We can only legislate our own hearts and minds. We cannot look to social media as the Author and Finisher of our faith. We must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus who will not condemn us or elevate us in our own minds. But He will help us to see ourselves and others through the lens of His redeeming love and grace. 

We can use social media as a means of connection and ministry, but we cannot let media and the Enemy use it as a weapon of mass destruction to our character and to the moral fiber of society. 

Deepen Our Knowledge:

The Surgeon General:

 “A more robust research agenda, beyond the evidence outlined in the advisory, must be established to further our understanding of the causes and consequences of social disconnection, populations at risk, and the effectiveness of efforts to boost connection.”

The Great Physician:

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. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13

The Surgeon General suggests that further research needs to be done to understand why people are lonely and what can be done about it. I have to say, right now, I feel like face palming my forehead and saying, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?”  

Do we really need to spend billions of dollars to see that we have taken our eyes off Jesus and put our own selfish souls on the throne of our hearts? 

I have days when I am terribly lonely, missing my kids, missing my friends, maybe having a bit of a self-pity party. I will call one and then the next, then the next, and no one answers. Those moments are when I realize I need to quit focusing inward and reach out to Jesus. 

He is always available. Always wants to chat. Always wants to show me the way to go. Always shows compassion and comfort. And as 2 Corinthians 1:4 tells us “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

Cultivate a Culture of Connection:

The Surgeon General:

“The informal practices of everyday life (the norms and culture of how we engage one another) significantly influence the relationships we have in our lives. We cannot be successful in the other pillars without a culture of connection.”

The Great Physician:

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approachGod’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself… Galatians 6:2-3

See also Hebrews 10:23-25 

We are not created to be alone. We are created to be in a community. Some are extroverts and finding community is no great challenge. Others are introverts and have to intentionally work to establish friendships and a community in which they can be transparent and supported. 

The most apparent extroverts who are surrounded by people all of the time can be lonely and ones who are viewed as introverts who “don’t need” much social interaction can be drowning in a river of self-isolation. 

Scripture is given to ALL of us, introverts, extroverts and those somewhere in the middle. It directs us to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. It tells us to encourage one another, hold each other accountable, pray for each other, and love one another. 

While there are many dangers of loneliness, there can also be benefits to it as well. These bullet points and verses are provided as a means for further study and reflection on the pitfalls and blessings of loneliness. 

Dangers of Loneliness:

  • Loneliness can be masked – We can be with hundreds of people daily yet be lonely.
  • Isolation can be dangerous – There is no accountability, the wrong kind of noise or narrative can be present in our heads. 
  • We can become lazy in our relationships and communications.
  • We can become too self-focused. 
  • What danger do you face in your lonely times?

SEVEN BENEFITS OF LONELINESS

Sometimes the Lord will use loneliness to help us rest, even when we are resisting it. Reflecting on God’s goodness and blessing in our lives can dissipate the feelings of loneliness.

REST

  • Be still and revel in who God is (Psalm 46)
  • Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30)
  • Our God who never sleeps or never slumbers gave us an example of resting. Did you know 14% of creation was spent in rest.
  • Resting in Jesus should help us stop the busy and self-destructive noise in our heads. Take every thought captive 2 Corinthians 10:5

REFLECTION

  • As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart Proverbs 27:19
  • Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.  Psalm 34:8
  • God also gave us the example, in creation, to look back and reflect on what we have done. In our case, good and bad, so that we can give glory to God and also take satisfaction in a job well done (Galatians 6:4-5) or make course corrections where needed.

RENEW 

RESET PRIORITIES/REDIRECT PRIORITIES

  • What treasures are you gathering? Luke 12:34 – where your treasure is there will your heart be… 
  • Are you seeking God first? Matthew 6:33
  • Are you a  Mary or a Martha? Are we too busy doing “stuff”… even if it is good stuff, is it the right stuff? Are we looking at all the stuff and not our Savior? Luke 10:38-42
  • Let us throw off anything that hinders us from running the race (distracts us from God’s will which is to glorify Him in all we do) Hebrews 12

RESTORE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FATHER 

  •  But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:15-16
  • Psalm 51:12 – restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and renew a right spirit in me.
  • Restoration takes communication and commitment. Our Father wants us to lay it all out there for Him. He knows our hearts anyway; we might as well get his feedback. 
  • Search the scriptures, pray more, read a book with a message of God’s love and faithfulness.

REACH OUT

To Jesus and to someone who needs a friend.

  • Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Psalm 25:16
  • In looking outward, you may meet the need of someone, even an angel. Hebrews 13: 1-3  

RECONNECT

With new connections and with others who are already in your circles. 

  • “Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.”
  • Hebrews 10:23-25 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,  not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
  • Proverbs 27:9 Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.
  • Psalm 133  How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
  • Romans 12:10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Finally, I Peter 4:8-10 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

What can you do today to reverse the effects of loneliness in your life? How can you help someone else out of the pit of loneliness? How can we, as a church and as individuals, respond to this “epidemic of loneliness” in a God honoring and healing way? 

I would love to hear your ideas and feedback. Maybe together we can be a part of the cure to this devastating epidemic.  

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. Amen

Destination RESToration: Remove Rinse and REST

This is part six of Destination RESToration. If you have not read the first five segments, I encourage you to do so before you move on to this section. Destination RESToration, DR Restored to Our Original Purpose, DR Preparing for Restoration, DR Restored Communion with God, DR Call the Carpenter.

REMOVE THE CRUD

If you have worked on a restoration project that requires sanding and digging out the layers of crud built up over the years, you know there will be a lot of debris on and in the vicinity of your project. It can be a real mess.

In the same way, removing the remnants from years of hurt, sin and bitterness from our hearts and lives can be a messy, yet it is a vital part of the restoration process.

And like the old song says “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

RINSE AWAY THE DEBRIS

After sanding and digging out that crud, it’s essential to clean away the debris. Dry brushing and vacuuming is good, but it usually will require a good scrub and may be a full-on fresh water wash down.  

Titus tells us that, When the kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy, he saved us through the WASHING of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:5

And If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9

…Wash me and I will be white as snow; Cleanse me with hyssop. Psalm 51

It’s important to get rid of all “crud” in our lives so we can accurately reflect the image of God and not let any of our debris mar the finished work in our lives.

The previous steps of the restoration process can be painful. Sometimes we have to dig in and keep at it, but after the recognition of the need for restoration, the repentance, and the cleansing, we need to rest.

REST

I know, by experience, that if I start the next phase of a restoration project before it has “rested” there will be a problem. Either the glue doesn’t hold something together, the color is uneven because the wood didn’t dry properly, or the stain/paint rubs off on my clothes because I didn’t give it enough time to dry. What a pain it is to have to start all over again.

I may have a problem being patient…

Too often, we confess, go to counseling, or restore a relationship and check it off the list like we are ready to move onto the next activity.

Rest really is not a four-letter word, not even a suggestion or a good idea, but a command from God, and it is an essential part of the restoration process.

Just like our physical bodies, our souls need time to rest and recover. God does not need us to hurry up and move on to the next thing.

Did you know that almost 15% of the Creation timeline is God resting? This is from a God who does not sleep or slumber. He rested to enjoy the fruit of His labor and to set an example for us.

Throughout scripture we are told to rest, to have a Sabbath, to be still. God even gave directions for letting the ground/soil rest every seven years for one year, about 15% of the time. Why is it so hard to realize that we need to slow down, rest and be still? 

Psalm 37:7  Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. 

He created us. He knows what we need, and REST is at the top of the list. 

We are working towards eternity. God is not rushing us. He does not expect a 17 year old to have the wisdom of a 60 year old. He does not expect a brand new Christian to have the same knowledge and understanding of Scripture that He expects a mature believer to possess.

He doesn’t expect a brand new believer to be an elder in the church. He does not require us to go through trials, hurt, grief, mountaintop or valley experiences without rest.

Even Jesus escaped His crazy, busy ministry to rest. Once, He was so tired He fell asleep on a boat in the middle of a storm. And when His weary disciples were terrified and ready to abandon ship, He commanded the sea by saying “Peace, be still!”

And He tells us in Matthew 11, “Come unto me you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.“

Fortunately, He is the Master Builder. He is the architect, carpenter, and restoration expert. He designed and knows the plans for our lives.

If you feel like you have messed up God’s masterpiece, don’t worry, He is in the business of restoration. He has all the equipment and knowledge to restore your masterpiece to its original purpose and beauty and He has all the time in the world… literally.

What debris is cluttering your heart? I encourage you to allow Jesus to remove it as far as the east is from the west and restore your soul.

As we enter this holiday season, let’s keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, and take time to rest so that we do not become “weary in doing good.”

What can you say no to this season? Will you choose to be like Mary and sit at the feet of Jesus? How can you choose to rest today?

I hope you are enjoying this series & hope to see you here next week for the next installment. Please feel free to share or comment.

Destination RESToration: Call the Carpenter

This is part five of Destination RESToration. If you have not read the first four segments, I encourage you to do so before you move on to this section. Destination RESToration, DR Restored to Our Original Purpose, DR Preparing for Restoration, DR Restored Communion with God.

I have watched more than a few YouTube videos on how to make a variety of repairs. I occasionally call someone with more knowledge or wisdom than I have to guide me through a process. Sometimes it is a simple task, others… not so much. 

As I was building a table for my backyard, I was struggling with the legs, getting the angle right, attaching them properly. I kept hearing a voice in my head, saying “call the carpenter” or even phone a friend, while the independent, know it all was telling me “I could do it myself.” 

Dropping the would be table legs a dozen times trying to hold them just so, I got slivers, bruises and abrasions from hitting large pieces of lumber on my shin… multiple times. OUCH!

You may have heard the old phrase, “measure twice, cut once. I measured ten times and cut at least four different sets of legs and still didn’t get it right.

But I completed the table “all by myself,” then promptly realized that one side was an inch higher than the other. Ugh!!!  I then remembered the scripture about two working better than one… Ecclesiastes 4:9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. Oops…

I definitely needed another set of hands while building the table. I contemplated what to do next. Do I take it apart??? Do I cut a bit off here or there? Then the voice started again… “Call the carpenter!”

Already having made a mess of things myself, I called my uncle, a master builder, not just a phone call but a video call so he could guide me through what I needed to do.

In about 10 minutes I had it fixed.

However, the way I fixed it left a permanent, sloping reminder that had I asked for help to begin with, from the carpenter or from a friend, (I mean I do have a German engineer living next door, for crying our loud!) I would not have had to make the correction after all of the hard work I had originally done. 

Isn’t that how we are in life, so often, too proud to ask for help. We don’t consult the Master Builder who knows the original design for our lives. We try to function independently of him and one another within the body of Christ.

We know this is no way to achieve success. The simple truth is found in Psalm 127; Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted.

We don’t want to ask for help or let anyone see our flaws. We make a mess of things and ask for help after the fact. Or worse, we make a mess and then just try to hide so no one will discover our failures. UGH… and Numbers 32:23 tells us “Be sure your sin will find you out.”

Scripture gives us the encouragement as to where our help comes from:

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. Psalms 121:1-2

We don’t read the instruction booklet He gave us with such clear guidelines for building our lives. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,” 2 Timothy 3;16

Why, why are we so stubborn?

Because building a God honoring life and subsequent restorations require the recognition of our depravity, dependence and need for repentance. It requires humility… and we are a proud people who need the debris of pride and self sufficiency removed from our hearts. 

My prayer for myself is that I seek God first, that I “call the Carpenter” before I bulldoze my way through the challenges life brings to me. I don’t want redos. I want to do it right the first time… whatever “it” is.

If you need help in your soul restoration, I encourage you to “call the Carpenter.” Seek God. Ask a friend for help. Ask your pastor or a trusted spiritual mentor. Don’t let pride stand in the way of you being a masterpiece designed and built by the Master Builder.

I believe the words spoken to the prophet Jeremiah are as true for us today as they were for him thousands of years ago:

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3

I hope you are enjoying this series. Please feel free to share, to comment, or to ask questions. I hope to see you back next week for Destination RESToration: Remove, Rinse, & Rest.

Destination RESToration: Restored Communion with God

This is part four of Destination RESToration. If you have not read the first three segments, I encourage you to do that before you move on to this section. Destination RESToration, DR Restored to Our Original Purpose, DR Preparing for Restoration.
Why do we need restoration in our communion with? 

Sin 

Because we are walking in the flesh

Because we don’t guard our hearts

Because we try to do God’s work in our own power

Because we take our eyes off of Jesus

Why might you need restoration?

Steps to Restoration

Recognize the Need

When I brought home an old worn out table that was bound for the trash, the first thing I did was sand a little corner and wipe it down with water to  see what it would look like after the restoration process was finished. It was beautiful. But I recognized that there was work ahead. It NEEDED restoration. It might be messy, but it was going to be so worth it!

Most of us know the story of David. He is the great-grandson of Ruth and Boaz, the great, great-grandson of Rehab the prostitute. He is an ancestor of Jesus and is considered a man after God’s own heart. But man was he a mess! He was only a young man when he was anointed to be King of Israel. 

It would be years before he ascended to the throne. Before he became king, he killed a lion, a bear, and Goliath all in the name of the Lord. He was a mighty warrior, killing tens of thousands of the enemy.

Then he became king. He had the world by its tail. He was successful. He had friends. He ruled the whole nation. But he let his earthly position start to rot his spiritual station. From the palace he looked down and lusted after Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, took her in to his home as a ‘wife,’ got her pregnant, had Uriah killed and didn’t see a thing wrong with it.

He didn’t recognize his repulsive sin until Nathan told him this story:

2 Samuel 12  So the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: “There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor. The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle. The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man’s own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter.  One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest.”

David was furious. “As surely as the Lord lives,” he vowed, “any man who would do such a thing deserves to die! 

Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man!

Sometimes we are oblivious to the “yuck” the sin in our lives. The first step in the restoration process is to recognize the sin and the responsibility for it. 

Repentance is the next step to restored communion with God.

In Psalms 51 we can start to see why David is considered a man after God’s heart. He humbles himself and recognizes his depravity and repents of his sin.

Have mercy on me, O God,
    because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
    blot out the stain of my sins.
 Wash me clean from my guilt.
    Purify me from my sin.
 For I recognize my rebellion;
    it haunts me day and night.
 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
    I have done what is evil in your sight.

Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Oh, give me back my joy again;
    you have broken me—
    now let me rejoice.

 Create in me a clean heart, O God.
    Renew a loyal (right) spirit within me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

When I start feeling irritated and grumbly, when I am feeling like I need restoration,  verse ten is the prayer my soul whispers. Like David, I have a tendency to take my eyes off of God and look at my surroundings, other people, their success, their families, their homes. That is how my soul gets run down and weary. When I start to feel like a worn out, dilapidated, used up dwelling. This is my first prayer. “Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit in me.”

Verse twelve tells us that the reward of repentance is the Joy of Salvation.

Repentance is not an easy task. It takes humility, forgiveness, and trust. It takes digging into the cracks and crevices of our hearts. It is like the Krud Kutter, the toxic chemicals, and the sandpaper, taking away the messes that we have made on our beautifully and wonderfully made lives.

When we have gotten rid of the rot and crud in our lives, we are prepared to do his good work and to be His masterpiece (See Ephesians 4) 

Sometimes we need humble ourselves and ask for help from someone who has more wisdom than we do. Sometimes we need to confess our sins to another human being in order to be held accountable. James 5:16 (NLT)says: 

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. – and we are made righteous through his sacrifice on the cross. 

Is there someone in your life you trust enough to tell you, “you are that man” as Nathan did for David? What is your response when they do? Do you see why it is important to recognize our need for restoration and go through the seemingly arduous, yet simple steps?

I encourage you to pray as David did:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalms 139:23-24

I would love to hear from you any thoughts on the idea of restoration to communion with God. You can leave them here or email me at soulwater@kerilynnwillis.com.

See you next week for “Destination RESToration: Call the Carpenter.”

Destination RESToration: Preparation for Restoration

This is part three of Destination RESToration. If you have not read the first two segments, I encourage you to do so before you move on to this section. Destination RESToration, DR Restored to Our Original Purpose

Any good restoration project needs to have a plan, preparation, the right equipment and protective gear, and you must read the safety and instruction booklet.

Gloves and goggles are pretty essential for many restoration projects. Good shoes protect out feet from falling objects or debris left in the wake of our creativity.

Every once in a while, I’ll start a project without a plan or proper protective gear. Sometimes I have not cleared my workspace of potential hazards.

I have scars to show it. 

Are you the kind of person who starts building that Ikea table without looking at the instructions or just gets an idea in your head and, as my husband says, just starts pushing buttons? I am. But I am learning that going slow is okay. Effectively reading and understanding the directions before I start anything can alleviate so much pain and heartache.

How do we prepare for restoration projects of our souls?

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.  Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV

As our work is laid out before us, we need to put on the armor to protect and prepare ourselves for any trouble that comes our way. 

Beginning the restoration process, we need to put on the Helmet of Salvation. We need to ask Jesus to forgive our sins and begin a good work in us. And we know that “He who began a good work in us is faithful to complete it.” Philippians 1:6 And be confident that He will keep working on us until He returns to take us to Heaven. We need to have that helmet to keep us safe from the flying debris of spiritual warfare swarming around us. 

The Breastplate of Righteousness guards our hearts, which is the wellspring of life.

The Belt of Truth helps us understand who we are in Christ and keeps us from believing what the Father of Lies is constantly trying to speak into our souls. It helps us keep the debris from filling our minds with garbage. 

The Shield of Faith helps us to deflect the fiery darts of doubt, shame, unhealthy self-talk, and spiritual warfare. 

Frequently I picture the Shield of Faith like a “cone of silence” from the 60’s TV show “Get Smart.” The secret agents would engage the cone of silence to prevent “Chaos” from hearing and interfering with their plans. I don’t have to hold that shield up and only protect a small portion of my mind or heart, but He is the shield all around me. Psalm 3:3. He is before me, behind me, beside me, above me, and within me. He has the power to extinguish every fiery dart before I know it is coming my way.

When our feet are covered with readiness and peace, our shoes protect us from walking into trouble and off the narrow road. They also make us ready to share the good news of peace wherever we go. And as the prophet Isaiah tells us the Lord will tell “This is the way, walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21

The Sword of the Spirit is God’s Word. It is our instruction booklet for whatever restoration project we face. It equips us with the knowledge and wisdom we need for the good times and the bad. It protects us. It contains more than pictures we have to decipher, but step by step, detailed instructions for life. 

And prayer is the most powerful tool in the toolbox and the easiest to use.  We are told to not worry about anything but pray about everything. Philippians 4:6

If we would only remember that we have all of these tools and all of this protection available to us all the time, with directions on how to use them at our finger tips… If we would only remember, we probably would not need the constant restoration in our lives. 

Lord help me remember to put on the full armor everyday. 

We are human. We fail. We make mistakes. We get worn out. “But don’t lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16

Are you fighting battles that would be better fought if you had the Shield of Faith covering you? Do you put on the Breastplate of Righteousness to guard your heart? Are your feet fit with the Gospel of Peace?

In my sad opinion, spiritual warfare is currently very intense. The Enemy is working overtime to kill, steal, and destroy. Don’t let him have even one ounce of power in your life. Wake up every morning and suit up ready for battle and remember that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might!

Thanks for being here. I hope you are blessed by the messages God has given to me to share. Feel free to share with a friend or a group and leave your thoughts in the comments. Next week will be “Destination RESToration; Renewed Communion With God.” Hope to see you here again next week.

Destination RESToration Restored to our Original Purpose

True restoration is the act of bringing something back to its original purpose.

So, what is our original, God created, and ordained purpose? 

            To walk with God

            To commune with God

            To worship God

            To glorify God

            To be image bearers

How do we get back to that original purpose?

Sometimes there must be demolition.

If you watch “Fixer Upper” you know that Chip’s favorite day is demolition day. Sometimes there are roots clogging the pipes or cracking the foundation. Sometimes there is rot deep down that must be dug out and destroyed. It is out with the old and in with the new.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” … And Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that “He makes everything beautiful in his time.”

I have a table that my TV equipment sits on. It is an old cherry wood drop leaf table that a fellow teacher had in her classroom. When she retired, it had layers of paint and glue. It had scratches and stains. 

The legs were cut to a level where the kids could sit on the floor around the table. And according to the principal who was cleaning out the classroom, the table had seen its better days, served its purpose and was ready for the dumpster. 

As it was being carted to its sure death, I redeemed it. I tested the surface to see how much work, what kind of sandpaper and how much toxic chemicals it would need to be restored. I started with an extra course sandpaper in order to remove the top layer of debris and years of elementary school crafts and creations, maybe even some bubble gum. And worked until I could see the emerging beauty beneath the crud. 

Pause, if you will, with me for a little shopping trip. You might not think that a trip to the hardware store could be a spiritual journey, but I invite you to take a little excursion with me and see what you think. 

If you go into your local hardware, you will see three main levels of sandpaper, but if you go online, you can choose from hundreds of sandpaper options, each with an intended purpose.

The most course sandpaper is “40” grit. Its purpose is to remove layers of stuff and chunks of yuck that have built up over the years of use and abuse. 

You can choose anything from 80-180 grit that is to prepare the surface for becoming beautiful again. And the finest grit sandpaper 220-320 grit (some even as fine as 1500), is labeled finish. It is for smoothing out and making wood grain and the original beauty of the wood come to life. 

Sometimes the sandpaper isn’t enough to remove all the yuck and you need to use something a little more toxic to dissolve the buildup. One of my favorites for this is called Krud Kutter. You might need to use something like this to get way down into the nooks and crannies. Sometimes, it even needs to be an even harsher chemical, a chisel or hard wire brush to remove the old buildup of gunk. 

Generally, between sanding phases, you must clean away the debris that is left on your project and the surrounding areas. If you don’t, you are likely to reintroduce some of the old crud and yuck into your finished project. After you clean, your project needs to rest. 

Occasionally you don’t need to disassemble a piece to restore it, but often the legs need to be removed, the hinges taken off, oiled or replaced. You can get away without doing all that on some projects, but others, need the complete overhaul. I have been lazy on some of these projects, thinking oh nobody will notice the crooked legs, drippy paint, or sticky residue lurking under the table. And they might look okay on the surface… but… I know… 

It is kind of like when we go to church, and we are relieved because the preacher didn’t preach about the sin we have buried deep within or even the one we are dealing with currently. We think, oh good, I don’t have to deal with that now… but we will have to deal with it eventually. It is probably better to clean out the gunk of our hearts and the roots of bitterness deep down in our souls before we start adding layers of “stuff” onto the surface of our lives. We may look like we have it all together and know how to do the “Christian” life, but are our hearts, our lives, our temples really in need of a good makeover?

Jesus has already done the prep work for us. He did the impossible work of removing the crud from our hearts through His sacrifice on the cross. He prepares us for His good works and has finished the work by sealing our hearts with the promise of the Holy Spirit.

Are you starting to see how a trip through Lowes can be a spiritual experience? (and if you are wondering, yes, it is tough to be me who can’t even go into the hardware store without having a sermon preached to me in my head and heart).

We are going to talk about a few different types of restoration over the next several weeks

RESTORATION TO OUR ORIGINAL PURPOSE

What is our original purpose?

Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over, all the wild animals on the earth…So God created human beings in his own image. Genesis 1
 

Our original purpose was to be image bearers of Christ and to be caretakers of the Earth and walk and commune with God… in a perfect world. But we know that with one bite of the forbidden fruit, that perfect home was demolished, needing constant restoration ever since. 

Fortunately, we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us ANEW in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10

I like to think that everything we are doing now is in preparation for what is to come, and Heaven is what is to come. 

Our Destination is true and complete restoration, life eternal with Jesus Christ.

“Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.” I Corinthians 13:12(NLT)

So, we wait for that day. But in the meantime, there is work to be done, and honestly, I don’t want to live with an old, damaged, ugly, useless spirit. I don’t want to be a fixer upper, I want to be the Restored. So how do we get there? 

Restoration through Salvation:

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins… Romans 3:23-25 NLT

We know that all of us have sinned. We have all been guilty of damaging our “temples,” our lives, leaving them in a state of disrepair and in need of restoration. God sent his son to be the Master Builder of our lives. He didn’t come to earth to fix up houses which were not flawed, but He came to repair the lives, the souls, and the homes of the broken. And He does not expect us to do the work ourselves. 

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”Ephesians 2:8-10 NKJV

We are saved by God’s grace once, we spend the rest of our lives being sanctified and prepared for our eternal home. 

Have you been distracted from your original design and purpose? What can you do today to move from the demolition stage to being restored? Call unto Him and He will show you great and mighty things.

Feel free to share your thoughts here and come back next week as we discuss restoring our hearts in communion with God.

Destination RESToration

In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.I Peter 5:10 

Restoration – the action of returning something to a former owner, place, or condition. 

I’m a sucker for a good fixer upper show. Sometimes I’ll scroll through shows until I find something that I can mindlessly binge watch while I am doing a project or housework. I saw the title for one, “Restoration Road.” The Host travels the country, observes, records, and helps with various makeover projects. One of the ventures was a neat old barn and flour mill that was disassembled in one part of the country, cleaned up and reassembled in another part of the country as a souvenir and coffee shop. It really was quite fascinating. 

As I continued to scan the shows, there was another one just called “Restored.” This host, restoration expert Brett Waterman, looked directly into the camera and stated, “I don’t want to make something different out of an old building or home, I want to restore it to its original purpose; Restoration is my passion.” 

I had to rewind and listen a couple of times to grasp what the host was saying. He didn’t want to make a restaurant out of grain silos, though that’s a unique idea. He didn’t want to make a barn into a wedding venue, though that is quite the trend. He didn’t want to change the structure or footprint of the house or building. His goal is to bring back to life a home or building, restoring it to its original purpose and original beauty. 

During one of the restoration projects, he was peeling off layers of wallpaper and drywall to reveal beautiful wood underneath. You could hear him exclaiming, “Oh man, oh wow!” He was removing STUFF, some seemingly good, some rotted, but somewhere along the line, it was “stuff” that someone thought would make the house look better or function better, but in reality, it was just covering up the scars, the beauty, and the original purpose of the home.  He was getting excited about the beauty and foundation that was within this old and seemingly run down, dilapidated house. 

Do you ever feel like an old run-down building, searching for the beauty within? Do you have trouble seeing yourself the way God sees you? Have you just added “stuff” to make yourself look or feel better? Does some of that “stuff” need to be peeled away so the beauty within is revealed? Do you need restoration to your original purpose?  

I Peter 5:10 says “ …”, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. And I Corinthians 3:10 tells us that foundation is Jesus Christ. “Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. …11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.”

Over the next several weeks, we will explore the need for and process of restoration and how He is equipped and ready with the tools to make our lives into a masterpiece.

Something interesting about a fixer upper, the house doesn’t do a thing but stand there. It is an object of the restorer. The house cannot fight back, nor does it have a say in the matter of its design or purpose. Unlike us, it really is an inanimate object. As we are the object of the restorative process, we can fight it, we can try to bend the will of the Master Builder to ours, but the process will yield more exquisite results if we surrender to the One who has the power for true restoration – the act of bringing us back to His original purpose and beauty. 

My husband’s parents moved many times throughout their lifetime. Sometimes it was to a beautiful new home, but often it was one that needed a lot of TLC. Every time, his mom would say, “This place has potential.” 

Friends, we are His temple, we are His home, and this place (our hearts) has potential.  

Today, we need to think like Abraham. We must confidently look forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Hebrews 11:10

True restoration is the act of bringing something back to its original purpose.

Will you let Him do that for you?

The Freedom of Dependence ~ A Mother’s Day Challenge

As mothers to be, our sweet babies are 100% dependent on us. He… OR she is encased in our womb and is connected to us by an umbilical cord that serves as a lifeline, providing him or her the lifeblood and nutrition he or she needs to survive. But soon that will change. You see, from the moment their umbilical cords are cut, our children begin their journey to independence. 

I remember the very first time I laid eyes on my baby girl, I thought, 
“How could I have ever left my mom and gone away to college; how could I have done that to her?” And, it seems, that in a blink of an eye, one snip of the scissors and my girl was off to college. 

Through the tears in my eyes, I saw my daughter in the rear-view mirror of my car. The day I left her at college to become a nurse, almost 3,000 miles from home, was one of the hardest days of my life. My precious baby was entering adulthood. She was on a new journey going from being the cared for to being the caretaker. How did that happen so fast? I know I’m not alone in the gaping feelings of a void in my heart, and at the same time rejoicing that my girl reached this amazing milestone. 

I have pondered the thought over and over: When my goal of raising my children is to teach them to be capable, independent, God-loving people, why is it so hard when they reach that point? Maybe it is because they don’t need me as much anymore, and as a mom, by nature, I am a nurturer. Maybe it is because my children were sitting on the throne of my heart, and God is waiting patiently for me to invite Him to take His rightful place.

As our children mature, they become less and less dependent on us. And as much as it pains us, we actually want that to happen.  

But when we become children of God, we are baby Christians, working our way towards total dependence. 

“Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you, I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger.”  1 Corinthians 3:1-2.

“The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.”  Lamentations 3:25

As believers, we willingly attach ourselves to a different kind of umbilical cord, one that provides the life blood we need to survive. 

But still, we convince ourselves we must work hard for our place as an adopted child of the King, but, Titus 3:5  says,  “He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.”

We strive to  provide for ourselves, but I Chronicles 29:13-14 says , “Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us.”  

We imagine that being good and following the rules will earn us God’s favor, but  Isaiah 64:6 says “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;.”  By His mercy, though, He has washed us white as snow. 

We can strive. We can work hard.  We can say all of the right words, but ultimately our dependence on Him is what God desires for us and from us. 

As we mature as human beings, we become less dependent on our parents; as we mature as children of God, we become more dependent on our Heavenly Father. Fortunately, God our Father is wise, loving, generous and most of all, trustworthy. 

James 1:17-18 says,” Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”

Sometimes I wonder why God allows me to miss my children (both married and living in different parts of the country) to the point of grief. I want to sit and chat with them about their days, their work, their spouses, what they are having for dinner and how God is working in their lives. I want to be able to hug them and be there for them. I am realizing, it is in that ache, I become more dependent on my Heavenly Father to fill the empty places in my heart. 

I am coming to understand that He misses me when my heart wanders, when I only give Him snippets of conversation, when I don’t spend time embracing Him as my Father. He desires that sweet parent child relationship with me. He waits patiently for me to come to Him and receive the blessings, the wisdom, and the perfect love that only a perfect parent can give. 

“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So, if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. Matthew 7:9-11

We have the perfect example of a good parent in our Heavenly Father. He is gracious. He is patient. He is wise. He is loving. He doesn’t mind our ‘why’ questions. He prepares us and equips us for the life He has called us to. He allows us our independence so that we can realize our need for dependence on Him.  

Sometimes, as parents, it is easy to get into the busyness of all that is required of us. Our children capture our hearts, and we love them with all that is within us. It is easy to sit them right on the throne of our hearts. But the greatest gift you can give to your sweet baby is to love God first and show that love in how you love your spouse, your baby’s daddy or mommy. 

In having children, you will face your highest highs and lowest lows. You will be tired, no exhausted beyond belief. There will be joy, laughter, challenges, and tears. The only way to survive and thrive is to be strengthened by your Heavenly Father through the spiritual umbilical cord of faith. Become totally and utterly dependent on Him.

We cannot guarantee how our children will turn out. We cannot climb their mountains or walk through their valleys for them.  However, we must encourage them as they develop independence as human beings, to become dependent children of God. 

Thank you, Lord, that you are a sovereign and trustworthy parent to me. Help me to honor you by surrendering all to you and becoming completely dependent on you.

How do you wrestle for independence? Do you struggle with trusting your Heavenly Father? I challenge you to make a choice to lay down control at the foot of the cross. Choose to abide. 

Listen here and worship with me.

Abide by Aaron Williams

Photo Credit YouTube

Splendor and Majesty ~ Imago Dei

As water reflects the face,
    so one’s life reflects the heart Proverbs 27:19

Sitting on my porch swing with a precious little ten-month old, we were swinging, singing, and giggling. When I stopped the swing, my little buddy would look into my eyes and wiggle her little body, willing me to start the swing again.  At one point, I became a little alarmed seeing something red in her eyes. At first, I thought she may have an infection, then I thought it was just part of her eye color I had never noticed before.

As I gazed into those smiling eyes, I realized what I was seeing was a reflection of myself. My red shirt was perfectly reflected in the dancing eyes of my little friend. 

I couldn’t take a picture. I could not shout for her mom to come see. I just sat transfixed and fascinated at what I saw in my little friend’s eyes. Me… I had never seen my reflection in anyone’s eyes before.

The thought took my breath away. When my Heavenly Father looks into my eyes, does He see a reflection of himself? Does he see the clarity of His image, the colors of His creation, the intensity of His love, the abundance of His character? Or does he see a distorted image, maimed by my own self-willed life, covering me like a veil.

But when someone changes and follows the Lord, that covering is taken away. The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And our faces are not covered. We all show the Lord’s glory, and we are being changed to be like him. This change in us brings more and more glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.  2 Corinthians 3:16-18

When God created man, he was perfect, created in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26-27). Sin clouded that perfect image. Mankind became blind, unable to see the Imago Dei. Jesus, the Light of the World, came to heal the blind and restore our sight.

As a fifth-grade teacher, I taught about light, light’s necessity for life and growth, reflection, refraction, speed, and spectrum. In the absence of light, we have no brilliant sunsets or sunrises, no reflections of trees on the water, no rainbows reminding us of God’s promises. Without the Light, we cannot see His reflection in our lives. Without the Light, we are completely blind. 

Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see…” John 9

My prayer today is that the reflection of God’s image is not just seen in my eyes but in my very soul, through my attitudes and actions, so that I can be a light to all who need to see. And as David prayed, “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.” Psalm 17:8 (NIV)

We are “Made in the Image of God.”

What does God see when He looks into your eyes?

Photo by Colin Lloyd on Unsplash

Teachers, Why We Do What We Do, And a Book Review

Teacher friends, do you ever wonder why you show up to school every day? Do you wonder why you continue to do what you do? 

One of my most precious memories of teaching is when my 5th grade class was studying the Christmas story and the lineage of Christ. Mid-lesson, one of my young theologians raised his hand and asked a very serious question. He said, “Mrs. Willis, does it hurt to have a baby?” Momently struck dumb, I said a quick prayer for wisdom, maybe turned a bit pink and proceeded to explain that the pain of childbirth is part of the curse. Hoping that was a good enough explanation for the time being, I attempted to move on to the next part of the lesson. But of course, it was not enough. We needed to discuss blood and breech births, near death experiences, and recoveries. I assured the students that being a mom was worth the pain and most of us make it through childbirth ok… millions of us do every year. 

The young theologian was never afraid to ask hard questions. And I was happy to answer them. That’s how we learn and grow. He is now married and has a child of his own. He is a teacher now of Greek and theology and has just recently given birth to a different kind of child, his book “Flash Theology.” I don’t think there was any actual blood, but I am sure there was the proverbial “blood, sweat, and tears” as this child was born.  

I am not sure if Brayden remembers anything he actually learned in 5th grade, but I am honored to have been a part of his foundational learning and am so proud of who he has become. I love to see his passion for learning and teaching God’s truths. I have not read the whole book yet, but I am digging in and loving it!

So teachers, this is why we do what we do. 

Splendor and Majesty ~ The Trees of the Field Clap Their Hands

This is part of a series, Splendor and Majesty, Knowing God Through His Magnificent Creation. This contribution is by my dear sister in Christ, Jessica Hughes. I hope this encourages you to see God throughout your day in His General Revelation of Himself through His creation. 

I have always loved trees. I was born in Pennsylvania, which literally mean’s Penn’s (William Penn’s) Trees. If you’ve ever been there, there are just so many trees. People out here California) talk about forests, but where I grew up we talk about “the woods”. One of my favorite things as a little girl was to spend my days playing up in the woods behind our house. We lived at the base of a hill called Boulder Hill, which was odd because it had far more trees than boulders. Perhaps they ran out of tree names for hills in such a vastly tree-covered region.

At the top of Boulder Hill was my best friend’s house, and in the middle of the hill ran a creek amidst the woods. My best friend, Danielle, and I would meet in the middle, splash in that creek, and then hike those woods until we got lost. And then we would slowly wander till we found our way out again, usually just in time to part ways and head home for dinner. We climbed old sturdy trees and made tree houses among the wide, lofty branches. We snapped off old dead limbs to make “log cabins” (usually more like a 6 inch high perimeter of a cabin because young minds bore quickly). We bent young spry twigs to create romantic leafy archways along our footpaths. And we sat on stumps for many a tea party. 

Naturally I am drawn to the way God talks about trees in Scripture. In Isaiah 55 the trees of the field clap their hands in joy. In Psalm 1, people are pictured like trees planted by a river, they nourished and strengthened as they drink up the Lord’s laws and meditate on them. Something fascinating about trees you may or may not know – did you know you can tell how old a tree is by counting its rings? And did you know you can tell how rainy the different years of that tree’s life were by how wide or narrow the rings are? In seasons where the tree receives much water, it grows fast and the rings are narrower. And in seasons where there is drought, the rings are wider. These seasons are necessary for the tree to be strong. It needs seasons of speedy growth where it becomes taller and bears a lot of fruit. And it also needs seasons that are quiet and slower, so that its wood can solidify and become stronger.

In one of my favorite books, outside of the Bible, Green Letters by Miles Stanford, the author quotes A. H. Strong telling this story, “A student asked the President of his school whether he could not take a shorter course than the one prescribed. ‘Oh yes,’ replied the President, ‘but then it depends upon what you want to be. When God wants to make an oak, He takes an hundred years, but when He wants to make a squash, He takes six months.’ Strong also wisely points out to us that ‘growth is not a uniform thing in the tree or in the Christian. In some single months there is more growth than in all the year besides. During the rest of the year, however, there is solidification, without which the green timber would be useless. The period of rapid growth, when woody fiber is actually deposited between the bark and the trunk, occupies but four to six weeks in May, June, and July.’ “

I wonder sometimes what my rings would look like if I were a tree. I think mountaintop experience after mountaintop experience might be a refreshing season with rich rains. In my teen years especially I think I had many of these. The rings were probably narrow as the years zipped by, but how I grew tall and was eager to produce spiritual fruit in my life. But then have come the valleys, and oh there have been many valleys. The rains were a little more spread out, and I wondered at times how long until the Lord would grant me rain again.

Like David wandering in the wilderness of Judah, I have said in my heart, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” (Psalm 63:1-2). But it’s there that my rings become wider and stronger. The dry valleys are a time of revealing whether what I learned up in the mountains has taken root in my heart.

Stanford also writes in Green Letters, “In that the Husbandman’s method for true spiritual growth involves pain as well as joy, suffering as well as happiness, failure as well as success, inactivity as well as service, death as well as life, the temptation to shortcut is especially strong unless we see the value of and submit to the necessity of the time element; in simple trust resting in His hands, ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform until the day of Jesus Christ’ (Phil. 1:6). And, dear friends, it will take that long! But since God is working for eternity, why should we be concerned about the time involved? …’So often in the battle,’ says Austin-Sparks, ‘we go to the Lord , and pray, and plead, and appeal for victory, for ascendancy, for mastery over the forces of evil and death, and our thought is that in some way the Lord is going to come in with a mighty exercise of power and put us into a place of victory and spiritual ascendancy as in an act. We must have this mindset corrected.”

He does lead us to the valleys sometimes. It’s not by chance, it’s by design. Because He knows that we need wide rings too. I get impatient with the Lord and have thrown my fits that He didn’t pull me out of those valleys as quickly as I’d like. I’m learning to appreciate that He does all things in His time. He is God, He does it His way. In the theme of trees, Ezekiel says it this way, “And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the LORD; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it.” (Ezekiel 17:24).

In my driest valleys is when I’ve truly come to understand who is the Lord, and who I am. And just to be clear, this is love. He doesn’t send us into dry seasons or valleys for entertainment or out of harshness. He tenderly walks with us through those seasons, with His glory and our joy in the forefront of His mind. He knows where the still waters and green pastures are, we need only to trust Him and continue faithfully at His side.

So, what would you look like as a tree? What would be the pattern of your rings? If you’re in a season where the rings are needing some widening, be patient with the Lord and don’t fight Him for that time (preaching to myself here). And if you’re in a season of frequent rains and narrow rings, praise the Lord! May your fruit be ever abundant in this time.

You can read more of Jessica’s blog here; jessmhughes.blogspot.com

If you are in a dry season and would like prayer, please feel free to email me at soulwater@kerilynnwillis.com. Also check back regularly for more refreshing waters or sign up to receive some Soul Water right in your in box.

Did Mary Know?

Surrendering to God’s Sovereignty

Have you ever struggled with God’s sovereignty? We want to believe we have faith enough to know God’s will is the best plan. But saying we believe in God’s sovereignty and living like we do are vastly different.

I had the opportunity to grow in this area recently. My husband needs eye surgery. After the surgery, he will have to lay on his face for a week and not be able to fly for a month. The problem with his eye was appearing to worsen, and surgery was scheduled for the week before Christmas. When I heard the news, I felt myself sinking into a mirey pit. Not because my husband needed the surgery (we already knew that it was coming), but that it would have to be right before Christmas, canceling our plans to go to Virginia to be with our kids for the holidays. 

Trying to be reasonable, I prayed, I asked friends to pray, and I told God just what I thought about this obnoxious surgery ruining MY plans. I let the worry and anxiety of not being able to see my kids steal the joy right out of Advent, the time I should be preparing my heart for celebrating the miraculous birth of our Savior. I woke up on the morning of the pre-op appointment wrestling with God. There was no use hiding my feelings from Him; He knew I wanted to be with my kids and was frustrated that our plans may be canceled. He knew my heart was hurting. After repeating my prayer and realizing I sounded like a broken record or a whiny child, it dawned on me that He really did have my best interest in mind, that He is sovereign, that all this wrestling was just wearing me out. I was able to finally pray, not my will but yours be done. 

He wanted me to hand over what I was so tightly clinging to, something I really had no control over anyway. When I surrendered to His sovereignty, the tension and anxiety started to drain away. Faith is the absence of fear. Peace is the absence of panic. 

We have many examples, in scripture, of saints asking for their will but surrendering to God’s will instead. Paul asked for the ‘thorn in his flesh’ to be removed. Jonah had to be in the belly of a great fish for three days before deciding to be obedient. Even Jesus asked, “If it be your will, let this cup pass from me, yet not my will but yours be done.” One of the most meaningful examples of surrendering to God’s sovereignty is written in Luke, chapter one.

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; [e]blessed are you among women!”

29 But [f]when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I [g]do not know a man?”

35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”

Then Mary said,“Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”  And the angel departed from her.

An angel appeared to Mary and told her that she had been chosen of all the women on earth to bear the Christ child, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. All she would have to do was give up her reputation, become an unwed mother, endure scorn for being an unwed mother. We don’t know how long the conversation really went on. If I was Mary, it would have been a long conversation, because I want to have all my ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions answered. But Mary asked a couple of questions and then replied with one of the most powerful statements recorded in the Bible, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” 

What if Mary would have said “Heck no, get out of my house Gabriel.”? What if she would have let fear overtake her faith? What if she had wrestled with the angel instead of surrendering to the sovereign will of God? We would still have a Savior. Mary still may have been his earthly mother. But oh, what a blessing she would have missed out on if she would not have opened her heart and said “Let it be to me according to your word.”

About 40 years ago, Mark Lowery wrote a song for a church program that has gained great popularity in the past several years. His normal jovial self considered the question if Mary really knew what she was getting herself into when she agreed to carry the Christ-child. The song, “Mary Did You Know,” asks the wondrous and the devastating. Did Mary know that when she kissed the face of her baby, she was kissing the face of God? Did she know he would die to save all mankind from their sin?

God does not often reveal his future plans for our lives, because it would be too overwhelming and heartbreaking to take in unless He had prepared us for that moment in our lives. Mary, however, did have the benefit of knowing the prophecies in Isaiah about the Messiah. 


Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book,
And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. Isaiah 29:18

I offered my back to those who beat me
    and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard.
I did not hide my face
    from mockery and spitting. Isaiah 50:6

He is despised and [d]rejected by men,
A Man of [e]sorrows and acquainted with [f]grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely He has borne our [g]griefs
And carried our [h]sorrows;
Yet we [i]esteemed Him stricken,
[j]Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded[k] for our transgressions,
He was [l]bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes[m] we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord [n]has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
8 He was taken from [o]prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

Isaiah 53:3-8

So, chances are, Mary did know. She most likely knew the joy and heartbreak that was prophesied, in Isaiah, of the life… and death of the Messiah. Her precious baby boy was going to change the world. He was going to bring great joy and suffer great pain and anguish. He was going to bear the sins of all mankind.  And she still said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”

During this season, we try so hard to make things just right. Sometimes, it seems like the harder we work to make the perfect holiday, the more disappointment comes from unmet expectations. We try to buy the right present, prepare the right food, sing the right songs, decorate to our hearts’ content. I love to do all the above, but if I am missing the reason for the celebration, I am missing the greatest blessing of all. He came so that we might have life, life more abundant. His ways are better than my ways and surrendering to His sovereignty is the greatest gift I can give Him for His birthday. 

Dear Sovereign Father, 

Please help me to keep my eyes fixed on you. Help me to not hold onto my earthly dreams and plans so tightly that I snuff out the blessings your sovereignty, even through pain, will bring. Thank you that 2000 years ago, Mary was joyful in obedience to your will and gave birth to the Christ child who would be our Savior. Thank you for the gift of salvation through your Son, Jesus. 

In His Precious Name, Amen.

I pray you all have a blessed Christmas season, remembering why we celebrate the birth Jesus. And by the way, my husband’s surgery was postponed until January. Thanks, in advance, for your prayers.

If this has been a blessing to you, please feel free to share it. If you would like to receive more devotions like this in your email, just click the “follow” button in the bottom right hand of the screen and enter your information.

Splendor and Majesty ~ Let Heaven and Nature Sing

Have you ever heard it, heaven and nature singing? 

There was a time when Jesus went into Jerusalem, people were worshiping him and praising him loudly. The community leaders told Jesus to make them be quiet. Jesus responded “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out! “ Think about that… Can a stone cry out?  I ‘ve seen a lot of rocks, and I have never audibly heard one cry out. But I have seen Mt Whitney, Half-dome, and El Capitan and have witnessed Creation declaring His majesty. 

In high school choir, we sang a spiritual based on Luke 19:14. The phrase “If I don’t praise Him the rocks are gonna cry out, glory and honor, glory and honor…” is repeated throughout the song. This phrase often comes to mind when I am driving through the mountains east of San Diego, hiking through Yosemite, or through the slot canyons in our desert. 

“If I don’t praise Him, the rocks are gonna cry out.”

There is another song that is one of the most recorded songs in history. We often sing it from memory, without ever really giving thought to the words pouring from our mouths. 

“Joy to the World” was written in 1719 by Isaac Watts as his interpretation of Psalms 98.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
    burst into jubilant song with music;

5 make music to the Lord with the harp,
    with the harp and the sound of singing,
6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
    shout for joy before the Lord, the King.

7 Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
    the world, and all who live in it.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands,
    let the mountains sing together for joy;
9 let them sing before the Lord,
    for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
    and the peoples with equity

I may have heard it at some point, but I just grasped, today, that this iconic Christmas hymn was based on the majestic and beautiful words of Psalms 98. David is not just encouraging us to use our voices and instruments in worship of our Creator, but he is telling us that all creation worships Him. 

Isaac Watts joined this Psalm with the good news of Christ’s birth in the Christmas Carol, Joy to the World. Can you see the Psalm in his words? 

Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let Earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the world! the Saviour reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

How do heaven and nature sing? 

Listen for the wind blowing the leaves of a tree. Be silent and eavesdrop on the bird’s song. Sit still and hear the river’s current splashing over rocks or the quick splash of the fish jumping out of the water. Listen to the waves crash on the shore. Take time to enjoy the laugh of a baby who sees and elephant for the first time. 

One of the most memorable worship services of my life was during a backpacking trip through Yosemite. We were tucked in between several rock formations that reached hundreds of feet into the sky. In the distance, we saw lightening flashing. Not yet hearing any thunder, we settled in for one of God’s greatest fireworks shows ever. We sat for several hours watching as the storm drew closer and closer to our little hide out. The thunder started crashing around us and echoing off the rocks. It was beautiful, yet terrifying at the same time. Retreating to a safer location, I couldn’t help peeking out to see the blankets of rain and the lightening hitting the rocks above us. We huddled under our tarps and tents as we listened, in awe and wonder, to heaven and nature sing

As we approach the celebration of Christ’s birth. Let’s take time to be still, to truly worship alongside heaven and nature. 

This is part of a series, Splendor and Majesty, Knowing God Through His Magnificent Creation. I hope this encourages you to see God throughout your day in His General Revelation of Himself through His creation. 

If this was meaningful to you or you know someone who could benefit from reading this, please feel free to comment or share. If you are not already signed up to receive my blog right to your inbox, just hit the follow box in the bottom right of this page and fill in your information. 

Photo by Oleg Chursin on Unsplash

What Are You Doing to Prepare for Advent?

The theme for the first week of Advent is Hope. I would encourage you to think on the hope that we have because of the birth of Jesus and the sacrifice He made for us, so we do not have to live in darkness. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Hebrews 6:19

What are you doing to prepare for Advent? This was a question posed to me by a colleague that caught me quite off guard. She knew I was a believer and wanted to share a heart-to-heart conversation about the meaning of Christmas. Honestly, at that point, I had not really thought about the idea of Advent. 

Advent: The arrival of a notable person, thing or event

I celebrate Christmas. It is a meaningful time of celebrating Christ’s birth with family and friends. I love the music, the time sitting in my home with just the fireplace and the Christmas tree to light and give warmth. But the idea of “preparing for Advent” escaped me. 

I am pretty sure I responded with a blank stare and a response about decorating my tree. I was unprepared to give and answer for the hope that was in me. I Peter 3:15. I pondered the idea of Advent the rest of the day and well into the night. 

As I closed my Bible the next morning after my quiet time, I thought to myself, “This is how I prepare. It is not a once-a-year occurrence, but a steady, daily, moment by moment infusing of God’s Word into my soul that is preparing my heart for the celebration of the most precious birth of all time.”

When I shared this with my friend the next day, she embraced me with a bear hug that communicated gratitude. Gratitude that I took to heart her inquiry, gratitude that I gave her an honest and thoughtful answer, and gratitude that, in my naivety I pointed out the obvious, we should always be preparing our hearts for the coming of our Savior. 

See the parable of the Ten Bridesmaids in Matthew 25. Some of the bridal party were prepared with enough oil to wait for the Groom, others ended up in the dark. Be in the light. 

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25%3A1-13&version=NLT

I have probably sung Joy to the World a thousand times. With great passion, I sing, “Let every heart prepare Him room.” Honestly, I probably spend more time preparing my home for Christmas than I do my heart. Often, I am worshiping as I decorate my Christmas tree and clean for company. But sometimes it leaves me so drained that my heart becomes the storage shed for grumpiness and frustration instead of the Joy He desires to fill me with. 

While I do take time each day to prepare my heart for Advent and believe it should not be a once-a-year event, I think it wise to slow our busied pace and our distracted heart, listen for the still small voice of the one who sent His son 2000 years ago, and remember the sacrifice that was made on our behalf. 

Every Sunday our church remembers Christ’s sacrifice through communion. We sing songs about the cross and take time to examine our hearts. We have to be careful that it does not just become a good habit. So, as we sing our Christmas Carols, it is essential that we don’t just celebrate Christmas as the world does, as just another time to party and spend a ridiculous amount of money on things people may not need or want. We cannot just sing Christmas carols without grasping the words we are professing. 

As I have been pondering Advent again this year, I began to think of it as a time to still my quiet heart and “prepare Him room” cleaning out the proverbial storage closet, disposing of the accumulated junk of the year and replacing it with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+5%3A22&version=NLT

I want my heart to be a sanctuary where the Holy Spirit feels welcome to dwell. I want the time I spend in the Word, in prayer, and being still before the Lord to cause my countenance to radiate the Light like shepherds witnessed so long ago. 

I love Christmas. It is my favorite time of year. I love the music, the food, the scents and even the presents, but more than all of that, I love that the whole world is celebrating the birthday of my King. As I prepare my heart for this celebration, I cannot let it be relegated to once a year or even once a week, but a day by day, moment by moment appreciation of the gift of God’s precious son. I pray that as I go out into the world each day, I will be like Peter and John in Acts 4:13 

 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished, and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

Dear Heavenly Father, 

In the busyness of this season and throughout the year, when I leave the comfort of my prayer closet help the world to recognize that I have been with you. Please help me to be a fragrant offering to you and always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that is in me. 

Ideas for Advent:

Cara Ray’s Advent Collection

Emily P Freeman’s Quiet Collection $10 https://www.theschoolforcreativedirection.com/offers/Ue8j6jJy/checkout

Mariel Davenport’s Tending Through Advent $10

https://marieldavenport.com/product/tending-through-advent/

Listen through Matthew and Luke on the YOU Version Bible App $0

YouVersion Bible App

Study some of our traditional Christmas Carols

The History Behind ‘Silent Night’

Photo by Mario Losereit on Unsplash

Splendor and Majesty ~ Absence of Light

This is part of a series, Splendor and Majesty, Knowing God Through His Magnificent Creation. I hope this encourages you to see God throughout your day in His General Revelation of Himself through His creation. 

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:1-2

I am a bit of an outdoor enthusiast. This summer I got to play in King’s Canyon, home to Boyden Cave. We were on the way to the river but took a detour to explore the cave. The stalagmites (they might grow up from the ground) and stalactites (they hold tight to the ceiling) were beautiful, forming shapes that resembled Christmas trees and bridal veils. The park had installed lights that enhanced the beauty, shapes, and shadows of these rock formations. 

If you have ever gone on a cave tour, you know the guide will usually turn all the lights out and try to scare you. So as expected, the lights went out. It was pitch black. Strangely, it also became very quiet. It was all I could do not to start singing…

“He wraps himself in light
And darkness tries to hide
And trembles at His voice
Trembles at His voice

How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God”

Click here to listen to the whole song. “How Great is Our God” by Chris Tomlin

Our guide proceeded to tell us the story of Mr. Boyden who discovered the cave and how he had been lost for two days in the pitch black of the cave. Sporting a broken leg, he eventually found his way out of the cave by following the water and light leading to the entrance to the cave. 

I must admit, I was a bit claustrophobic thinking of poor Mr. Boyden searching endlessly for a way out of the seemingly eternal cold, wet, and dark cave. And then the verses came pouring in my head and washing over my heart.

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5

There is nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night, shuffling through a room and kicking your toe! If we are wandering around in the suffocating darkness of this world, we are sure to meet with obstacles in our way or stumble and fall. But we don’t have to live as those who have no hope. We have the Light. He has come into the world so we do not have to live in darkness, so we do not have to stumble, so that we can escape the suffocating world of darkness that wants to suck us in to its despair. 

I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.John 12:46

A friend shared a story with me about her adventurous father. He would take her on his thrill-seeking explorations. As a little girl, my friend was quite fearful. She did not inherit her father’s enjoyment of all things adrenaline inducing. However, just as the fear would begin to overtake my friend, she would feel her daddy slip his hand into hers and hold on tight, assuring her of his presence and that he would never let harm come to her or let her face her fears alone. 

For I, the Lord your God,
    hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, “Fear not,
    I am the one who helps you.” Isaiah 41:13

The companionship and protection provided to my friend by her father helped her to have a picture of how God is always with her, always holding her hand, always providing comfort and confidence to take another step, knowing that He is her guiding light. 

Your word is a lamp to my feet
    and a light to my path. Psalms 119:105

If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light with you. Psalm 139:9-12

Our world may seem dark to you today. Let the words of God’s light fill your life. Know that He is with you, guiding you and holding your hand. In Him there is no darkness. Rest in His magnificent light. 

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. Ephesians 1:18 NLT

…for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. Ephesians 5:8

If this was meaningful to you or you know someone who could benefit from reading this, please feel free to comment or share. If you are not already signed up to receive my blog right to your inbox, just hit the follow box in the bottom right of this page and fill in your information. 

Splendor and Majesty ~ Light

This is part of a series, Splendor and Majesty, Knowing God Through His Magnificent Creation. I hope this encourages you to see God throughout your day in His General Revelation of Himself through His creation. 

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. Genesis 1:3-5

Have you ever stopped to consider why, before God created anything else, He said “Let there be light?” God, in His infinite power and wisdom, did not need the light to see what He was doing, yet the moment He spoke light into existence, He saw that it was good. 

Maybe God created light first because everything else in creation is dependent on it. Anything with life, plants, animals, and people are dependent on light to live, grow, and thrive. Did you ever do that science experiment as a kid where you put one plant in the sun, one under a light and one in a closet? The plant with just the right amount of light is the one that would thrive. We are like those plants, and God knows just how much light we need to survive. 

Since creation, light has signified beginnings; beginnings of a new day, more light signals a new season, and less light does the same. When we get up in the morning, we turn on a light and when we go to bed, we turn off the light. God gave us light to wake us up, and darkness to help us rest. 

God is a God of order, and we see that from His very first act of creation. 

He not only created light first because everything else is dependent on it, but without light, we cannot see. Even though God didn’t need the light to see, He gave it to us and all of creation as a gift so that we could revel in the beauty that surrounds us. Without light, we wouldn’t see color. Without light we would not witness the masterpieces created at sunrise and sunset. Without light we could not gaze into the eyes of our children or spouses. 

There is so much we would miss out on without light.

While in Yosemite, I had the opportunity to observe a beautiful Steller’s jay. The colors were breathtakingly deep and vibrant. I just had to be still and observe this simple yet beautiful creature. Eventually, I whipped out my phone and started taking pictures and sending them to the family chat. My park ranger son-in-law, quickly replied with a link to a blog and a picture of two feathers. One was gray, another blue. But interestingly, they were the same feather. 

This is an excerpt from the National Park Service blog that he sent me. 

“The Steller’s jay is one of the more common birds Yosemite visitors see. It has beautiful blue feathers that aren’t blue at all–that is, they have no blue pigment in them. This is also the case with Yosemite’s mountain bluebirds. Birds with yellow or red feathers usually get their color from pigments in the foods they eat, but the digestive process destroys blue pigments. So how do feathers on mountain bluebirds or Steller’s jays get their blue color?

Feathers are made of keratin, the same stuff your fingernails are made of. As a feather that will become blue grows, keratin molecules grow inside each cell, creating a pattern. When the cell dies, a structure of keratin interspersed with air pockets remains. As sunlight strikes one of these feathers, the keratin pattern causes red and yellow wavelengths to cancel each other out. The blue wavelengths reflect back, giving the feather its color. Different shapes and sizes of air pockets and keratin make different shades of blue. This is what scientists call a structural color (as opposed to pigmented color.)

Next time you see a Steller’s jay or a bluebird consider the amazing way nature has colored its feathers.”  NPS

I would encourage you to not just consider the way nature colors the birds but recognize the way God colors the feathers of every bird, the leaves of every tree, the brilliance of every flower, shades of the purple mountain majesty and gorgeous hues of the ocean. See all that God, The Intelligent Designer, has made and, like Him, acknowledge that it is very good. 

When I read that quote from the National Park Service, my heart immediately had a flood of scripture and biblical application for understanding this phenomenon that wouldn’t have occurred without light. 

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6

When His light is shining in us and on us, we are made beautiful. The Light brings to life all we are meant to be. We who were once dead, now live. We who were once blind, now see. 

Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

He lights the path we are to take and gives us light to do the work He has planned for us. This light is what points others to the Light of Life. 

Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

Then you shall see and be radiant;
    your heart shall thrill and exult…

Who are these that fly like a cloud,
    and like doves to their windows? 
For the coastlands shall hope for me...

…for the name of the Lord your God,
    and for the Holy One of Israel,
    because he has made you beautiful.

Isaiah 60

Without the light we would not see the brilliance of that Steller’s jay and all his radiant color. Before the light was in us, we were without life, one dull gray color. When we have the Light shining in us, we become beautiful, vibrant, brilliant, colorful reflections of the Imago Dei… the Image of God. 

Oh Lord, help me to let your light shine through me. Please allow your image to be reflected in my life, so that others may be drawn to you. In Jesus name, Amen. 

Do You Have FOMU (Fear of Messing Up)?

Hi Friends, I was planning a whole different post today, but this message is timely for me, and I hope it can be an encouragement to you as well. I will be back to my Splendor and Majesty series post haste! Thanks for being here with me. If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

Do you have FOMU? We all know about FOMO, fear of missing out, but how does FOMU impact your work, your ministry, your productivity, and your joy? I am talking about the FEAR OF MESSING UP. 

One of my greatest stressors is the feeling that if I do something wrong, everybody will know what a fake or fool I am. I have a stinkin master’s in education. How on earth can I use the word thrown when I mean throne or profit when I mean prophet?! (I could bore you or boar you with the details of how, but not today.) And don’t even get me started on the missing or over use of commas.

As I was contemplating an upcoming event, the FOMU started overtaking my thoughts. Then defeat inched in, disabling my forward momentum. Sometimes that inner critic saves us from embarrassing ourselves, but sometimes is keeps us from being fruitful, fulfilled and successful. If we never step out in faith, with courage, we are not only robbing ourselves of the blessing of a job well done, but we are robbing those around us from benefiting from our wisdom, knowledge, or creativity, or even our mistakes. 

Pay careful attention to your own work, 

for then you will get the satisfaction 

of a job well done, 

and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. 

For we are each responsible for our own conduct. Galatians 6:4-6

We know David as “A Man After God’s Own Heart.” We also know him as one of the biggest blunderers who ever lived. I am not saying to go ahead and send someone into battle and then steal their wife. But I am trying to communicate that we cannot let the fear of messing up paralyze us, because even as much as we blunder, God’s grace is more. We can blow it big time, but He can make a masterpiece of our mess. Not because of David’s disastrous choices, but because of his contrite and repentant heart, we see how to have a blessed life and beautiful walk with God. 

What if David feared Goliath to the point of not going to the battlefield? What if he feared the lion or the bear? What if, when he was confronted with his sin, he refused to be humbled and corrected? What if he did not face his fear while hiding from Saul? He would have never written “Where does my help come from? It comes from the Maker of the heavens and the earth.” (Psalm 121) We wouldn’t have the example that says, “against you only have I sinned.” (Psalm 51) We would not have the comforting words of so many of the Psalms.  

I have FOMU. I worry too much about what people will think, how they will perceive me or do they “get me.” I fear messing up. However, I cannot let that stop me from speaking or writing the messages that the Lord puts on my heart. Oh, it would be so much easier to keep my faults all to myself and never risk putting my oops on display. That is just what the Enemy wants… to silence me. I worry about spelling a word wrong or mispronouncing it, when I should be more concerned about serving those who need the Living Water. 

Go ahead and edit; check your work; proofread; use the best keywords, phrases, and hashtags; make memorable taglines and headlines. (I pray God edits my thoughts, my words, and my mouth every day!) But please don’t let FOMU keep you from sharing your heart, God’s word, or using the gifts and creativity that He has put in you.  

I will bless the Lord who guides me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.
I know the Lord is always with me.
    I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. 
    My body rests in safety. Psalms 16:7-9

Book Review ~ A Grace Filled Homestead by Lana Stenner

What a fun and inspirational book. Lana blends her love of life on the farm with practical and biblical application. Her writing invites you into her home and heart in a way that makes you appreciate God in the simple things of life, like baby goats and fluffy chickens. Her recipes are simple and delicious! I have already used her bread dough recipe for pizza and cinnamon rolls and made her super easy goat cheese. The pictures are beautiful and make me want to go out and buy a goat and a good camera to take more pictures. Every time I pick up this book and read a section, I find myself smiling. Now that is the kind of book we should all be reading!

Splendor and Majesty – Be Still and Listen

Have you ever felt like Elijah? Alone, dejected, fearful?

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” I Kings 19:9-13

Have you ever gotten yourself worked into a frenzy just to get shaken back down to reality? I think that is kind of what happened with Elijah here. He was afraid. He ran to the desert then to the mountains and landed in a cave, sure that he was the lone believer in God left in the world and that everyone was after him to kill him. 

God used the wind, an earthquake, and a fire to get his attention and THEN He spoke very gently and quietly to Elijah, giving him direction for what he was to do next. 

Sometimes, I think I would like it if God spoke that clearly to me. And then I remember, He has. Through Scripture, His Special Revelation, and through His creation, His General Revelation. It is up to me to be still and listen; to respond; to worship.

Our culture has ruined the art of being still and drinking in the goodness of God through unplugging and listening to nothing but the birds, the crickets and frogs, the rain, the wind, and the waves, through taking a day off from the crazy and reading Scripture that declares His glory over and over again.  He made all of this for us and invited us to enjoy it with Him

Even Jesus went away to commune with the Father and to be recharged for the next leg of His journey. 

What does God have to do to get our attention?

Was COVID 19 enough?

Were the subsequent earthquakes, fires, tornadoes, and riots enough?

Just like God spoke to Elijah, He has spoken to us. He tells us we are never alone; “I will never leave you or forsake you” Hebrews 13:5) And that He is enough: “Lord you are my portion” Lamentations 3:24) and that He will walk through the water and fire with us. Isaiah 43:2-4

“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
    I have called you by name; you are mine.
2 When you go through deep waters,
    I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
    you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
    you will not be burned up;
    the flames will not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord, your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.“

Take a minute and enjoy Nicole Mullins’ song, “I Know My Redeemer Lives”

Isaiah 55:3a Incline your ear and come to me; hear that your soul may live… He has spoken to us. It is up to us to listen.

Dear Heavenly Father, Please allow our eyes to be open to your wisdom and words through every gift of creation you have given us. 

If you have enjoyed this, please feel free to share it and drop your email to me by clicking the “Follow” button in the bottom right hand corner of this page.

Soul Water

Living Water for a Thirsting Soul

Skip to content ↓