Hurry and Flurry

The days are slipping away before Christmas, and so much yet to accomplish. Even with the bad economy, the threat of very cold weather in a few days has gotten everyone out to get the shopping done. Navigating out in the crowds and finding a place to park can sometimes be overwhelming. Other times it can be exhilarating, especially for the bargain hunter in me!

The pictures above were taken in Macy's in New York at Christmas. I remember the hoards of people sifting through crowded aisles and stuffed displays. I still have the two blouses I got marked down to ten bucks. I remember the beautiful decorations and the frazzled clerks. I remember most of all the crazy pace and being carried along in the swift current of people.

I also remember talking briefly to a young woman while I was in Central Park. She told me she loved living in the hurry and flurry of NYC, but sometimes she just had to get out of the city. I have been to NYC twice, and know that I couldn't live there. The pace is grueling and the song is right...the city that never sleeps. I gotta sleep, and gotta get away from the madding crowds. Though I live in a Metroplex, I have the calling of the wild to escape to the country and the wildlife.

I have found the key to holiday shopping is in looking at my expectations and preparations. If I have gone out being flexible and rested, I can remember and accomplish most things on my list. It depends on whether my introvert side has reached its limits. Yes, I said introvert. I can only be around lots of people for just so long. Then I run home to get re-energized.

The Holy Spirit has shown me that in the middle of chaos I can go home. I need to remember whose I am and repeat...BE STILL! It works even in a crowded room to slip away to Papa and breathe deeply. It works in a stressful checkout line to reach out and smile at someone or talk to a stranger. It works to give somebody each year a gift that doesn't expect one. It works to go get a tag off an Angel Tree. It works to spend an evening during the rush season with just one other couple eating a healthy meal together and playing a game afterwards. It works making cookies and putting sprinkles on top of frosting with your grandchildren. It works to keep it simple.

Though Jesus talked to thousands on hillsides, He knew he had to get away to spend time with the Father. He knew how to spot the one in the crowd that needed a healing touch or a bit of conversation. And He certainly knew how to get together enough food or wine for a big crowd. HA! HA! He knew the BE STILL balance that comes with being the servant to others but taking oneself back to the Father for restoration.

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That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus...sick, demon-possessed...the whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases...

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Mark 1:32-35

Gorgeous Moon

Last night's moon was gorgeous in size and color. A friend (the same one who gives me a 'heads up' on sunsets) had called to tell me to run outside to see it. The stunning brightness and color was due to it being so close to the Earth in its orbit. My picture does not do it justice, but I am happy to have not missed it and only heard about it on the news.

I was thinking if watching such an extraordinary moon is thrilling, what will it be like when there is no need for the moon when in the eternal presence of the LIGHT. Oh, JESUS!

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I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its light.
Rev. 21:22-23

Risky Business

These two pictures were taken in New Mexico. The trail through small openings of tons of rock into the inner canyon was quite nerve wracking. Then the scaling of the wall to get to the top and look down upon all the formations was literally exhausting. Also, I began to worry about how to get back down, when I let myself go to those fearful thoughts. A flash flood, bobcat, snake, or fall could have killed us. Sounds like my mind was flooded with fear, and that it was not fun. I am reporting where my mind reverted to bunny trail invitations to be afraid. But the overall experience of conquering the canyon and getting the pictures from the top was something God-given (and husband-encouraged) that gave me desires to hike to high places again. We have had wonderful trips hiking to unbelievable places because we spread our wings.

Who knows but God all the near misses each of us goes through in life. I know I am grateful for the things I DIDN'T have to do. It is so important to try new things and get victories upon which to build more courage and become productive. God has helped me overcome my fears so that I could experience the wonders of life's adventure
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Helen Keller said:

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding is no safer in the long run than exposure.

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a song I wrote about courage

IN THE SPIRIT
copyright 2000

You did not give me a spirit of fear,
but of Power, and Love, and a Sound Mind.
When I am walking in the Spirit, it's clear;
Power and Love and a Sound Mind.

Lord, You have the Power.
Teach me how to Love.
Restore me to a Sound Mind.
You're the One I'm in need of...

Chorus (You did not...)

Lord, when I am fearful
I can face the wave.
Just let your Love wash over me;
give me the courage to be brave.

Chorus

Unwrapping

As I was wrapping my son-in-law's birthday gifts into homemade fabric bags, I started thinking about how much fun it is on both sides of the gift. Filling a bag with something fun or special absolutely makes my day. Unwrapping something that you can tell love and attention went into just for you is also one of life's true pleasures. Not only the gift, but the soul and spirit of the giving.

I started making tapestry bags for gifts a few years ago because the amount of trash thrown away in wrapping paper really bothered me. The tapestry bags, like green bags, can be used to give something to someone else, or just for stashing something special in a safe, identifiable place.

We are being unwrapped, as the chaff is burned away. The gift of purifying comes from the one who is our greatest desire.
God is not in yesterday or tomorrow...He is in the present. He is active and alive in your transformation. He will carry on to completion all that He has begun since forming you in your mother's womb.
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"See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty.
But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.

Malachi 3:1-3

Hallelujah Chorus

Last night, due to generous tickets from some friends, we got to experience Handel's Messiah at Bass Hall in Ft. Worth. It was a special treat for me because of a memory from high school...

I grew up in a small (around 200 people) town in western Nebraska. In high school I was part of a madrigal singing group of 8 members. My music teacher and Spanish teacher, who met at this K-12 one-building school as teachers, fell in love and began making marriage plans. They asked if the madrigal members might give up their Christmas Eve to sing the Hallelujah Chorus a capella at their wedding ceremony. We all agreed. It meant lots of extra practice, but the challenge was exhilarating.

On that Christmas Eve the church was filled with candles and red poinsettias. 'Gorgeous' was not a word close to describing it. The sanctuary was stunning! It was a transcendent, powerful experience to sing the piece with only 8 voices and no instruments. Every note is still there in my spirit, and the power of the words blesses me so every time I get to hear or sing it.

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Hallelujah! The Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever. King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Hallelujah!