Dear Santa

I arrived at Simple Church this morning to the greeting from a friend from high school.  After hugs Connie ask me, if I wanted to write a letter to Santa.  I went blank.  Simple Church is having everybody right a letter to Santa and they are going to do something special with them at their Christmas Eve service.  A beautiful idea and I know lots of hearts will be filled.

Back to my letter...it had been years since I have even been asked what do you want for Christmas.  Kenny and I don't buy each other gifts a choice we made years ago.  So my mind began to swirl and everything I came up with wasn't anything that Santa could give me.  All the things I wanted to write sounded a lot more like a prayer to God than a letter to Santa.  Things I desire only God is able to provide and I think that is part of the getting older process.  Yet, it filled me with joy to simply go through this process.

Why?  I realized that it's not so bad to be getting older and realizing that love, peace, forgiveness, grace, and joy truly are the things I desire! The realization that I only want the lost to know the Lord and to feel His amazing love.  Thank you Lord for the gift of your Son to save a wretch like me!  I love you and it is my prayer that the little ones that write their letters to Santa will indeed be filled with joy and happiness for their answered letters, but for the unanswered letters that these little ones will still know they are loved and that love is so much better than stuff!  I pray for their little hearts to be filled with love and understanding.  I pray that someone will cross that path and meet a need.  Amen

Again, thanks for the Santa letter thought process Simple Church!  Great getting a hug Connie and the reconnecting with a friend.

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

More from Luke 1

A Choice we all have to make for ourselves.  Do we believe or not?

Mary sets such an amazing example.  I continue to be fascinated with this amazing young woman and her choice to believe knowing what she might be facing.  Yet rather than focus on the bad things that might happen she made a choice to believe God would work it all out.

She had to have made this choice.  After all, if she didn't how could she have taken one step forward from the moment that Gabriel left her?  She knew she could die.  She knew that Joseph could have her stoned.  Yet, she continued to take each step and believe that God indeed went before her.

I love the story of Elizabeth and Mary.  The strength she gained from words of encouragement that Elizabeth gave her and the love that she needed to face the unknown.  Elizabeth gave her these beautiful words in Luke that will

just fill any of us with hope, if we listen to them.

Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.

It's is a choice we each must make.  Do we choose to believe the words that God gives us through His Word?  Do we want to believe?

It is my prayer that each day you will be filled with hope, joy, and strength to believe God's words.  Don't believe the words shouted at us daily in this world of doom and gloom.  Believe the words of God that fill you with hope, joy, love, compassion, and strength!

Listen to the same verse above from the Message bible ~

Blessed woman, who believed what God said, believed every word would come true!

Believe the words will indeed come true!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

More Musings on Luke 1

Encouragement is something everyone is able to do!  Not everyone can draw, not everyone can play a sport, not everyone is able to dance. Do you get the picture?  YET everyone is able to offer a kind word that helps more than anyone might realize.

Reading further today in Luke, Mary arrives at Elizabeth's home and immediately upon Mary saying hello.  Elizabeth in a very loud voice filled with the Holy Spirit offered wonderful encouraging words to Mary.  Imagine, the weight on Mary's shoulders when she arrived at the home of a cousin that she doesn't see very often.  She just traveled a pretty good distance with people, perhaps she didn't know very well and an angel of God just delivered news that was beyond anything she could have ever imagined.  Mary also didn't know what would happen next in her young life.

Yet, she walks through the door and is offered these amazing words from Luke 1:

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!  But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

Imagine for a moment the weight that immediately was lifted off this young woman's shoulders and heart.  All because this woman followed the leading of the Holy Spirit.

How often do we feel the Holy Spirit guiding us to offer words to someone and we resist?  Or perhaps we follow through and we see the hope immediately sweep over the face of the one that received the words they needed?  Follow the nudges!

Last Saturday I followed a nudge and drove to Hope, Arkansas.  Our family farm was the destination and God surprised me with the eagle above!  I always love God moments and how amazing He truly is and how He provides what we need and when we need it.  He did that for me and He did it for Mary and He will do it for you!

Share encouragement today!  

God gave me this scripture to share with you today from Isaiah.  I loved the way it is written in the Message, so that is the one I am sharing with you today.  I pray that He reminds you through this passage of who He is and how much He loves you!

Isaiah 40:31 The Message (MSG)

^27-31 Why would you ever complain, O Jacob,
    or, whine, Israel, saying,
“God has lost track of me.
    He doesn’t care what happens to me”?
Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening?
God doesn’t come and go. God lasts.
    He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine.
He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath.
    And he knows everything, inside and out.
He energizes those who get tired,
    gives fresh strength to dropouts.
For even young people tire and drop out,
    young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
    They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don’t get tired,
    they walk and don’t lag behind.

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

More thoughts on Mary ~ God is in the details!

Okay, how many of your girlfriends make lists?  A grocery list?  A packing list? A to do list?  A list just to have a list?  A list so you are able to say you have a list?

I know without a doubt that at some point or all the time you ladies have a list.

The very next point  in the story found in Luke 1 after the angel left Mary we find these words ~

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea...

I could not go any further.  I have shared the last few days about my issues with questions and these words throw up a whole new list.  Yes, I have to make a list about these words right here.  

1.  How did Mary convince her parents to let her suddenly leave to travel many miles to visit a cousin?  

2.  Did her parents not think it is strange that suddenly a 14 to 15 year old girl is suddenly consumed with thoughts about her much older cousin?

3.  What did Joseph think of this sudden upcoming trip?

4. How did she travel to this new place?

5.  Who did she travel with?

6.  What story did she give to go?

I could continue this list to be a top 10 or even more, but the only possible solution is that God is in the details.  God worked it out for Mary and He works it out for us!  We must proceed through our journey like Mary did.  She got ready and hurried to the new town.  She trusted.  She believed and God took care of all the questions with the answers needed.

How often do we miss out on God being in the details?  Mary believed with all of her heart.  How one might ask?  Well, I believe it is because she knew God and she knew His Words.  She would have heard these words from Deuteronomy 31:8 ~

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."  

Mary had probably heard the story many times from her father sharing the story of Moses talking to Joshua.  The encouragement that Joshua received to take on the leadership of the people of God.  Mary knew that God had chosen her and perhaps she claimed these words and found strength to pack up and head on out.  After all, it had to have struck a chord with her that Gabriel chose to share with her these words during the same time he was giving her details about Jesus upcoming birth.  I mean think about it.  Suddenly these words in my words are shared; Oh, by the way even Elizabeth your relative that is old is having a child...check it out in Luke 1:36.  She was listening in detail and took the words to heart!

Today, listen for the details!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie