I is for IDENTITY

12/23/09 Organ chords of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing’’ rang out as the choir began to process along the red carpet down the aisle toward the choir loft at the First United Methodist Church in Hopkinsville yesterday. All of this was so familiar to me. Except, there was no Mr. Scruggs, or Mr. Tilley or short lady on the front row with the “big” strawberry red hair now occupying that loft, just Marian Adams looking mostly the same, but now graying.

This church with its large stain glass window above said choir loft (in memory of J. Brownell) stating, “He is not here. He is Risen” is where I began to discover my identity.

I walked that same aisle toward the altar at age 13, during a revival---somewhat unusual for a Methodist church---against my mother’s protestations too, because “we” didn’t express our emotions in public like that. Methodist became my moniker. Oh I had so much to learn. So much grace and knowledge to acquire---still do. (I need to insert an emoticon here but I only know this one---☺---have never created my own.)

Remember, I come from a small town where names like Baby, Bugs, Cookie and Junebug given at a young age still mark the identity of these folks, some of whom are now in their eighth decade. But names/labels do say a lot about who we are.

During this time of year certain names of our Lord resonate throughout church services:
Infant---the babe born in the lowly manger stable.
Incarnate One---“incarnato” Latin for being or taking flesh. He came and dwelt among us that we might have abundant life. “Hail the incarnate deity.”
Identity---“I AM”--- is the personal name for the God of Israel and Judah as revealed to Moses in the Wilderness (Exodus 3:14) In John 8:58, Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you before Abraham was born, “I AM.”

• And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

This verse gives identity to Jesus because He reflects the identity of His Father.

May I find my identity in Him as well---called by God to reflect His Son.
Call me Christian!

HOPE

12/21/09 "Christ in you the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27)
Hope within. (Psalm 39:7)
Blessed hope. (Titus 2:13) Living hope. (1 Peter 1:3) Eternal hope. (John 3:16)

Hope you have time to ponder these verses today!

Hope I soon have more WiFi access* to share the one who is THE true Hope.

*Got it with full access to scripture citations!

H is for.............Hand of God

12/19/09 Assignment: Look for it today in your life.
I certainly have seen the hand of God at every turn this year in my cancer journey.

G is for……………Gifts of Grace

12/14/09
Popeye, the comic strip character (which began 80 years ago) gave us lots of food for thought---mainly about spinach. But I also remember him saying, I “yam” what I “yam.” I could say that about myself and the connotation would be derogatory. “I yam what I yam”…..apart from God’s grace, what “I yam” is not a pretty picture. Today "I yam" tired, grumpy and "down." But God......continues to bestow grace on this undeserving old lady.

I learned years ago that grace is "unmerited favor" from God. This gift of grace is a description of the character of God---His gift to humanity. We just have to receive this beautiful gift all tied up with His love---open it up and use it. What a gift----and we can never use it up!

Theologian, J.I. Packer, describes grace this way, “New Testament grace means God’s love in action towards men who merited the opposite of love. Grace means God moving heaven and earth to save sinners who could not lift a finger to save themselves.”

Here’s a gift of “grace scriptures” for you today---open the scripture that appeals to your heart and use it in your life---that’s what meditation does. Open the Bible, accept the Word and use it for yourself and to bless others.

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. I Peter 4:10 (THOT---the gift does, in fact, go on)

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 2 Peter 1:2 (THOT---Grace always precedes peace in the salutations (I found 16) of the epistles ----God’s grace must be present in order to experience His real peace.)

Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. (Romans 5:14-16)

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— (Ephesians 2:8)

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. (I Corinthians 15:10)

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. (John 1:16)

I hope you chose your gift of grace carefully and prayerfully and will continue to delight in it throughout the week.

G is for GIFT, indescribable

12/11/09 At a recent “Christmas Carol” production, a young boy sitting behind me, who seemed to enjoy kicking my seat, asked his Mommy, “Where are the presents from the ghost of Christmas Present?” His question was typical of the season’s mentality---not where is His Presence but where are my presents!

“On Dasher!” “On Dancer!” “On MasterCard!” “On Visa” was the intro to a Trinity Methodist Church (Denver, CO) sermon message on “Unplugging the Christmas Gift Monster.” So often we are so busy with the peripheries of the holiday that we lose sight of the One whom we celebrate. The One who gave us our greatest gift.

“The Father gave the Son. The Son gave the Spirit. The Spirit gives us life so we can give the Gift of love. And the Gift goes on. And the Gift goes on.”

Those words from Sandi Patti’s song resonate with the truth of Christmas. We have been given a gift. Now it’s our turn to pass it on. Love, His love, is a gift that keeps on giving.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights,…(James 1:17)

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

F is for Faithful Friend

12/9/09
In Shelby County Schools this month, the “Character Trait of the Month” is "Friendship.” The quote given to us in our Silver Bulletin this week was, “A friend is someone who sings your heart’s song back to you when you have forgotten the words.” (David Coppola P.H.D)

When I returned to work this week, I found friends like that everywhere I turned. They poked their heads in the library, stopped me in the hall, left notes and goodies and basically blessed me beyond measure.

When I was flagging in zeal, they lifted my spirits, especially the “lunch bunch.” Everyone should have a prototype of this HHS “lunch bunch.” We are a diverse group---in age, marital status, stature, interests, etc. We all love to eat so we talk about food (a lot)---- even though someone is always on a diet. Gender is the common denominator since Ben no longer has C lunch. Occasionally Mr. Suchman drops in so we really don’t discriminate. We’ve laughed together, cried together, prayed together, bashed men (only those deserving bashing) together and just enjoyed each other's company.

The entire HHS “bunch” has been with me this year through thick and thin---surrounding me with listening ears, open hearts and open hands. They’ve fed me and my family too many times to list, joined the HHS café with receptions and tea parties to brighten my day and sent me off to Dallas with a friendship quilt, books, pictures, cards, tea cups, tea pots and enough tea (when brewed correctly) to float a battleship.

But I have also known other friends who, in their human frailty, have found it hard to be faithful to a relationship when it no longer suits their needs. I know how devastating that kind of betrayal can be. Conversations with other women have affirmed that. It’s even worse if it comes from someone within the community of faith.

Scripture alludes to this in Psalm 55 when David cries out to the Lord in the anguish of his heart saying that he could bear it if the one who had brought this reproach against him had been an enemy but it wasn’t………………..

13 But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, 14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God.

So who is a true friend who walks in when the world walks out? Who is always there for you regardless? Who is it that pleads on your behalf before a holy God? Who is this One who is Faithful and True (Revelation 3:14) and calls us friend? (John 15:14-15) Jesus.

What a friend we have in Him!!!

E is for Emmanuel

12/7/09 As we approach the Christmas season that “E” word probably seems like a given---but I didn’t think of it. But God…I sat down to write this blog not having a clue of an “E” word---one that rang clear. I had some alpha bits floating in my head---eternal came to mind but not much else.

Then, I remembered a book that had the names of Jesus in it and I even remembered where it was. GLORY! At the Name of Jesus was on the bottom shelf of the lawyers’ chest in the living room. On the flyleaf I had written: From Allan and Carolyn Bowden on my 40th birthday. This “little” book has ministered to me over the years but especially that year, 1986-87. The underlines and the marginalia are reminders of His very real Presence in my life as I was struggling with two very necessary losses in my life. Naïveté and unreal expectations----those things one often has to give up in order to grow up. Also in the book was a cross-stitched “Dotsy” bookmark given to me by my former Longreen neighbor, Cheryl Mc.--it was stitched by her mother, Nancy G. It too was a reminder of God’s Presence in both our lives during another difficult season.

He was and is my Emmanuel---God with me in all my seasons.

“Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Em-manu-el, which being interpreted is God with us." (Matthew 1:23, KJV)

Ponder that.

Mindless in the Mountains

12/4/09 Is it the altitude? Is it age? Is it MAC muddled mind? Why can I not hold on to thoughts? My mind is like….. a sieve? ……a piece of diaphanous fabric. Words flutter in but don’t stay long enough for me to weave them into a coherent thought---much less express it. Having a conversation with me can be a labor of love. Is that why so many are turning away or just tuning me out?

What attribute of God do I need to focus on for help in this area. I don’t care if it starts with Z, I’ll jump right to it---forget my obsession with ABC order. How else do I stop these whirlpools of words that I can’t quite qrip tightly enough or hold long enough in my grasp in order to have a complete thought?

Yesterday’s Jesus Calling’s first sentence caught my attention. “Do not be surprised by the fiery attacks on your mind…………Don’t let discouragement set in……call upon My name……My name, properly used, has unlimited Power.” Wow!

Another “D” word---He is my Defender---my only defense in the battle for my mind

Dippin' Dots (Dots, Nancy Rouse’s nickname for me, is dipping back into the “D” word bank

12/3/09

D is for DELIGHT He is my delight!

“Delight thyself also in the Lord and He will give thee the desires of thy heart.” (Psalm 37:4---Dotsy’s memory version)

Years ago (1978-79) when I was teaching her son Nathan, Carolyn Hughes cross-stitched that verse for me. It was really an answer to prayer because I was struggling trying to memorize scripture and “Voilà !” ---a gift of scripture. This visible reminder did the trick.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that the more I delighted in Him, the more He would change the desires of my heart. Now my heart’s desire is for my life to be so aligned with His---that my delights would be in sync with His delights.

D is for…………

12/2/09…………….DANCING PARTNER! You probably already knew that, but I didn’t. It was revealed to me in the middle of the night. Of course, it has to be that characteristic. It’s the way I‘ve known Him best this year.

The term doesn’t exactly resonate with spirituality but it clearly expresses the year I’ve had in His presence. It’s been a way to celebrate life when it seemed so tenuous. The beauty of dancing with Him is that’s it’s a forever dance and it just gets better---I hope to keep dancing.......as the "gift" sign above our fireplace reminds me.

Last week Larry and I watched a “Dancing with the Stars” recap. What a difference from those first weeks. As the dancers began to know and trust their partners they seem to meld. It took lots of daily contact and hard work. At the end, the top 4 partners (even those who stumbled miserably at first) showed that all that time together, even enduring pain during the practices, paid off---it was as if they were one. Is that the way it is for you? Are you one with Him? Is your time on earth a dance rehearsal for that eternal dance with Him?

It’s not too late to learn. Just turn toward Him. Step out there and take His extended hand. He’ll hold you in His embrace and be with you through those spins and dips and turns that life sends your way. You might get dizzy, or stumble a little but He won’t let you "fall headlong"---and that’s scriptural. (Psalm 37:24)

Each person’s dance is different. Looks different. Feels different. Tempo is different. Steps vary from easy to complex. As in life, we are all at varying levels of knowing Him. But all of our dances have one thing in common---a celebration of life in Him! Let Him whisper in your ear as you dance.

This weekend I hope to be dancing on the mountaintops with Him. How about you? Are you dancing with the Lord?

It’s never too late to begin your dance with God.

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;…….and girded me with gladness. (Psalm 30:11)

........I hope you Dance!!!