Growing in Grace

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. -Luke 2:19 The lowly shepherds were visited by angels. The angels told them that the Messiah had been born and that He could be found in Bethlehem, wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. These shepherds likely traveled some distance from their fields and then searched out the Savior of the world. What must Mary have thought when this group of shepherds appeared in the stable? When she saw them begin to worship the baby, she must have been further amazed? I'm sure she must have wondered how they knew? Did they tell her that they had been visited by angels? We then read that the shepherds began to spread the word about the birth of the King. What a task to be the mother of the Son of God. Mary was a faithful, humble servant; yet I'm sure she spent her life in awe as she watched all that took place surrounding her first born Son. As a mother, I hope to also treasure each moment with my own chi

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests." -Luke 2:13-14   The NIV study Bible notes that "peace is not assured to all, but only to those pleasing to God - the objects of His good pleasure. The Roman world was experiencing the Pax Romana, marked by external tranquility." But as Wiersbe writes, "the absence of war doesn't guarantee the presence of peace." While we may experience peace on land and sea, what we really long for is peace "from passion, grief, and envy. . . (a) peace of heart". (WW)   "The angels proclaimed a deeper, more lasting peace. . . a peace of mind and soul made possible by the Savior. Peace with God is received by faith in Christ, and it is on believers that 'His favor rests.' The Davidic Messiah was called 'Prince of Peace'." (NIV study Bible)

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you, He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.  -Luke 2:11-12   Charles Stanley writes, "When the shepherds found the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, they found 'a Savior who is Christ the Lord.' He came as a sin offering for mankind. He came as the Savior, the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies as the Messiah; but He came as Lord of heaven and earth also. . . Jesus Christ is the ruling, reigning, sovereign Lord over all."  Will you let Him rule and reign over all of your life this Christmas?

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people." -Luke 2:8-10     Why were the angels chosen as the first to hear the good news of the birth of the Savior? After all, they were considered unclean because of their work, outcasts of society. Warren Wiersbe writes that it was a revelation of God's grace to mankind. Jesus did not come to "call the rich and mighty; He calls the poor and the lowly."   Jesus was not only called the Good Shepherd; He was also the Lamb of God who came to be the final sacrifice for the sins of man. "It was fitting that the good news about God's Shepherd and Lamb be given first to humble shepherds". (WW) "'Fear not!' is one of

. . . and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son, she wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. -Luke 2:7     This is my very favorite Christmas song. It tells the entire birth story of our Lord. He came from a place of honor- the Son of the Most High, fully God - to a humble stable as a tiny human infant. His birth may have taken place in simple surroundings, but there was nothing simple about His coming.  Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth for the sole purpose of dying. Dying for the sins of the world, for you, for me. He brought hope, peace, love, and freedom for all those who would call on His name. Christ is the Lord. He deserves our praise. May you too experience this amazing gift this Christmas season.   

. . .Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken. . . So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth. . . to Bethlehem. . . He went. . .with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born. -Luke 2:1, 4-6     "Augustus Caesar was ruling, but God was in charge, for He used Caesar's edict to move Mary and Joseph eighty miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem to fulfill His Word." (Warren Wiersbe) Mary and Joseph had accepted God's plan for their lives and they were now a part of God's prophecy concerning the Messiah.  It is interesting to note that Bethlehem means "house of bread", the ideal birthplace for the Bread of Life (John 6:35). (Warren Wiersbe) This part of the Christmas story reminds me that God is indeed in control of all things. When the world seems to be spiraling out of control; we are reminded here that God has a plan. It is also

. . . Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph. . .An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. . . She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus because He will save His people from their sins. -Matthew 1:18, 20-21     Joseph was a man of incredible character. He could have - and planned to - quietly divorce Mary. Instead, he didn't worry about his reputation and obeyed the angel's command. By taking Mary for his wife, he accepted God's plan instead of his own.  In doing this, he also agreed to be the earthly father to the Son of God. He chose to make a home for Jesus. He was among the first to call Jesus by name. He was privileged to hold the baby Jesus and care for Him as He grew into manhood.  Joseph's faith and obedience make him a wonderful role model. I love his story.

Mary responded, "Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. . . .For the Mighty One is holy, and He has done great things for me." Luke 1:46-47, 49     When I think about Mary, I find that I admire her greatly. She was a young woman - girl really - who was visited by an angel and told that she would conceive a child who would be the "Son of the Most High God". Luke 1:29 tells us that Mary was "troubled" at the angel's greeting and "wondered" what it could mean. As Warren Wiersbe says, "Mary's response reveal(ed) her humility and honesty before God. She certainly never expected to see an angel and receive special favors from heaven. There was nothing unique about her that such things should happen." If she had been unique, then her response might have been one of pride and expectation. God chose a humble servant. This is the first thing that stands out to me about Mary. Then Mary seemed

In Beth Moore's book "Breaking Free" she first covered the five benefits of being a child of God. She next wrote about the five obstacles that stand in the way of experiencing the five benefits. The first benefit of being a child of God is to know God and believe Him. The largest obstacle, therefore, to this benefit is that of "unbelief, choosing not to believe in God . We're not talking about believing in God. We're talking about believing God, believing what He says. We can believe in Christ for salvation in a matter of seconds and yet spend the rest of our days believing Him for little more." (p. 53) "Unbelief is crippling. The steps we take forward with God we take through faith. Therefore, unbelief literally cripples our spiritual 'walk', casting huge obstacles in the way of a victorious life. . . If we're willing to admit our lack of confidence in Him, Christ is more than willing to help us overcome our unbelief. Belief - or

When Nehemiah heard bad news, he prayed. After praying, he developed a plan. Nehemiah 1 is a blend of prayer and action. . . Why is prayer so important? Here are the four shortest reasons I know. . . . Prayer forces me to leave the situation with God; it makes me wait. Secondly, prayer clears my vision. . . When you first face a situation, is it foggy? Prayer will "burn through". Your vision will clear so you can see through God's eyes. Thirdly, prayer quiets my heart. I cannot worry and pray at the same time. . . Fourthly, prayer activates my faith. After praying I am more prone to trust God. . . Prayer sets faith on fire. Don't just fill the margins in your Bible with words and thoughts about ways a leader prays. Do it!. . . Pray! Prayer was the first major step Nehemiah took in his journey to effective leadership. . . . . . The Lord is the Specialist we need for those uncrossable and impossible experiences. He delights in accomplishing what we can

I believe that many of us go through life sucking on pacifiers. Oh, we don't see them because they're in our bank. Or they're parked in our garage. Or we live in them. Don't put your hope into things that change - relationships, money, talents, beauty, even health. Set your sights on the one thing that can never change: trust in your heavenly Father. (God desires us to need Him, to rely on Him, to depend on Him, and to trust Him in everything.) Little He cares whether you've been. . . all that matters is your trust in Him. Father, help us today to maintain our promise of faithfulness to you, (especially) in times when we're not surrounded by people who agree with us and encourage and understand our devotion to You. Give us great courage as we face the challenges of each new day. -From The Inspirational Study Bible by Max Lucado But store your treasures in heaven where they cannot be destroyed by moths or rust and where thieves cannot break in and ste

Ever have trouble determining God's will for your future? You are not alone. "Do I move to Mobile or Minnesota?" "Do I retire at IBM or a clerk at Sears?" "Do I marry or stay single?" The questions are endless. One follows another. Every new responsibility brings new decisions. "What college should my son attend?" . . . How in the world do we know what God wants? Do we set out a fleece? Seek advice? Pray? Read the Bible? All these are right yet there is one decision that must be made first. (Hand on, it's a touch one.) To know God's will, we must totally surrender to God's will. Our tendency is to make God's decision for Him. . . Don't go to God with options and expect Him to choose one of your preferences. Go to Him with empty hands - no hidden agendas, no crossed fingers, nothing behind your back. Go to Him with a willingness to do whatever He says. If you surrender your will, then He will "equip you with ever

Do not be ashamed to serve others because of your love for Jesus Christ, or to appear poor in the world's eyes. Do not count on your own strength; trust God. Do what you can, and God will supply the difference. Take glory neither in money, if you have some, nor in influential friends, but in God who gives you everything and above all wants to give you Himself. Avoid boasting about the size or beauty of your body, which a little illness can disfigure or destroy. Have no pride in your native wit and talent; that would displease God who gave you every good thing that you naturally possess. Reject the thought that you are better than anyone else. If you think such haughty thoughts, God (who knows what is in you) will consider you worse than they. Pride about our good deeds is pointless. God has his own ideas regarding what is good, and He does not always agree with us. If there is anything good about you, believe better things of others. This will keep you humble. It will

Often in the past, Lord, I have come to thee with a heavy heart and a burdened life. And thou answered my prayers and graciously lifted the burden from me. Yet with strange perversion, I still refuse to leave my burdens with thee. Always I gather them up - those heavy bundles of fears and anxieties - and shoulder them again . - Peter Marshall Sally Clarkson writes that she found herself weary, pondering alternatives regarding her son's living situation and wondering if all of life was going to be this way. "Could nothing ever work out smoothly and easily?" (p. 108) I have often wondered the same thing. Sometimes everything about life seems difficult ALL THE TIME. As Sally read about Adam and Eve in the garden she saw how Satan had tempted them to not believe in God's goodness and provision. It made her see that Satan might also be involved in tempting her to disbelieve God's provision in her current situation with her son. She felt the question being asked of

In Warren Wiersbe’s book “ The Strategy of Satan ”, he follows his discussion on the strategies Satan uses with a practical look at how we can live by faith. “Everybody in this world lives by faith”; but not everyone has the same “object of faith”. As followers of Christ, our object of faith is God the Father; He is the One in whom we put our trust. This is why Satan does his best to attack “the believer’s faith.” (p. 89) Hebrews 11 gives us a long list of those who lived by faith. We may wonder how we too can know that we are living by faith. Wiersbe writes, “It is so easy for us to be fooled by our own feelings (“But it seemed right to do it!”) or by the circumstances around us, or by Satan and his demonic powers.” (p. 91) Warren Weirsbe gives us four “tests” we can apply to our “decisions and actions to determine whether or not (we) are walking by faith.” (p. 91) The first thing to ask ourselves is “Am I doing this for the glory of God, or just to please myself?” (p. 91) “Faith alw

Our church bookstore recommends a book each month. For the month of October it was Warren Wiersbe's book "The Strategy of Satan - How to Detect and Defeat Him". I'm halfway through it and have been learning a lot. The first part of the book discusses four people from the Old Testament who had a direct confrontation with Satan. From these experiences we learn "the targets Satan aims at in your life; the weapons he uses to attack you; the purposes that he wants to achieve; and the defenses God has provided for you." The first person Wiersbe writes about is Eve. From her encounter we learn that Satan the deceiver targets our minds with lies. His purpose is to make us ignorant of God's will for our life. God has given us His inspired Word to defend ourselves against these attacks. The second person to be discussed is Job. Here we see that Satan the destroyer targets our body with suffering. The desire of Satan is to make us impatient with God'

In every area of life, face up to what God would have you do. As long as you play games, as long as you ignore what you know in your heart God would have you do, you set yourself up to fail. . . God wants control over every area of your life. Not partial control, total control. He wants you to be victorious over temptation. But He wants you to be victorious for His purposes, not yours. You may not have achieved victory over temptation because you are holding to the reins of your life and trying to get God to intervene in the rough spots. That isn't the way God works. He wants all of you. And when He knows you are His, He will do whatever He needs to make you into an effective servant for His kingdom. -From Winning the War Within by Charles Stanley; part of The  Inspirational Study Bible: New Century Version  by Max Lucado Evaluate your alliances in career, leisure, and finances. Which "allies" tempt you to compromise? Which "allies" help you know the Bibl

What poses the greatest risk to not continuing in Christ? The greatest risk is the crisis of values which inexorably comes when we follow hollow and deceptive philosophy. It may not come until we have traveled for many years down the road of self-deceit, but it will come. The crisis of values is no less than a bad case of the -ism's - materialism, relativism, humanism, hedonism, liberalism, legalism, secularism and so on. I doubt few of us ever set out to become a materialist or a relativist or whatever. It is more that without self-examination we atrophy from the Christian value system into something less. Not that we abandon the spiritual connection, but slowly, almost imperceptibly, we undo the moral knowledge to which we pledged ourselves. When once we redraw the line, there is less pressure against redrawing it, and less and less each time thereafter. . . God wants us to make a comeback. He wants us to make a comeback more than we do. . . How can someone start a comebac

You look secure and successful, but the half has not been told, right? Part of you is insecure and fearful. Underneath, you're pretty weak. You appear to be happy, easy-going, and fulfilled: but the half has not been told, has it? You wonder about where all this is leading you. Your restless drive for more and your desire for calm, peaceful contentment seem poles apart. . . because they are poles apart. Deep down, nothing within you smiles. The truth is you are empty on the inside and you're faking it on the outside. Not one thing you own in all your "kingdom" has brought you the happiness you long for. So you're thinking, "Maybe if I could land that better job," or "get into that bigger house," or. . . or. . .  But don't allow the smoke screen of more money to blind your eyes to the truth. There's a lot more to being rich than making more money. Seneca, the Roman, was right, "Money has never yet made anyone rich." Do you

We can have overflowing hearts that worship in spirit. First of all we must be yielded to the Holy Spirit . Before we can worship God in our spirit, the Holy Spirit has to be there to produce true worship. First Corinthians 2:11 says, "The thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God." If you don't have the Spirit of God prompting your heart, motivating your heart, cleansing your heart, instructing your heart, you cannot worship God, because you cannot even know Him. "No one can say, 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit' (1 Corinthians 12:3). In other words without the Holy Spirit, a person cannot truly affirm the Lordship of Christ. To worship Christ as sovereign requires prodding by the Holy Spirit. And we receive the Holy Spirit only upon the reception of Jesus as Savior and Lord. . . David was a king. He had more than a few things to worry about. And yet he sought to worship God with an undivided heart. In Psalm 86:11 David prayed,

Maybe your past isn't much to brag about. Maybe you've seen raw evil. And now you, like Josiah, have to make a choice. Do you rise above the past and make a difference? Or do you remain controlled by the past and make excuses? Many choose the latter. Many choose the convalescent homes of the heart. Healthy bodies. Sharp minds. But retired dreams. Back and forth they rock in the chair of regret, repeating the terms of surrender. Lean closely and you will hear them: "If only." The white flag of the heart. "If only. . . " "If only I'd been born somewhere else. . . " "If only I'd been treated fairly. . ." "If only I'd had kinder parents, more money, greater opportunities. . . " Maybe you've used those words. Maybe you have every right to use them. Perhaps you, like Josiah, were hearing the ten count before you even got into the ring. For you to find an ancestor worth imitating, you, like Josiah, have to

If there were the willingness to be content with less money, fewer activities which eat into the budget and take the family away from home, fewer possessions; if there were the willingness to "be content with such things as you have," would we not sooner find the truth of God's Word, "A man's real life in no way depends upon the number of his possessions" (Luke 12:15)? The willingness to be and to have, nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else, would set our hearts at rest, and we would discover that the simpler the life the greater the peace. -From The Shaping of a Christian Family by Elisabeth Elliot; part of The  Inspirational Study Bible: New Century Version  by Max Lucado

I have been meaning to sit down and write an update on Dennis for a while now, but I feel like things have been so busy since August that I haven't had a chance to even catch my breath! But this week the Lord has been refining and encouraging me with some great things related to our cancer journey, so I felt I "needed" to sit down and organize my thoughts. April was the two year anniversary of Dennis' surgery and the news that he was cancer free. August was the three year anniversary of his diagnosis and the two year anniversary of the end of his treatment. September 2nd was Dennis 50th birthday and we celebrated the weekend before with a Beatles-themed party. You can read about it here and his birthday day activities here . Dennis' regular blood work and CT-scan in the spring show he is still cancer free. We are so thankful! He continues to have regular check ups with his radiology doctor and oncologist, but is finished following up with his surgeon. Our fami

In Matthew 4 we read about Jesus being led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Jesus had been fasting for forty days and forty nights when the enemy came and challenged Him to turn the stones there with them into bread. Jesus responded by saying, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). The NIV Study Bible points out that "just as God gave the Israelites manna in a supernatural way, so also man must rely on God for spiritual feeding. Jesus relied on his Father, not on his own miracle power, for provision of food." This study note, made me think about the current state of jobs and finances among family, friends and ourselves. I think sometimes we put our trust in our physical jobs for our "daily bread" instead of in Jehovah-Jireh, our Provider. When we receive a pay cut in those jobs or even lose them completely, we can become anxious and feel hopeless. Warren Wiersbe writes that

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. -Matthew 5:8 When I was a boy, the thought of going to heaven sounded boring. As a young lad, I thought that there is so much more here that I wanted to experience. Places to go. Thrills to embrace. The thought of sitting around for all eternity strumming a harp didn't appeal to me. I had a very immature perspective of heaven back then. But in the last few years I've closed some of my letters and emails in a unique way: God is good. Life is a challenge. Heaven looks better and better all the time -Dennis As I've read the Scriptures, I've realized that heaven looks much better than anything the world offers. I think life is one long process of God weaning us from this world and its pleasures and showing us that what we yearn for isn't here. Do you long for heaven? On those days when you desire heaven the most, is it because you're exhausted, so you long for heaven's rest? Is it because you

Harkins Theater is offering two free movies for the next week for their 80th anniversary. I took the kids to see Epic for the 11:30 show. (It was great to be just about the only one's in the theater!) We have seen this movie before. Dennis took Ellie to see it on a "date". Then we checked it out from the library and watched it at home. There are some great lessons in this movie and I love the story of the gained understanding between father and daughter. I was tearing up in a couple of parts! As we were leaving the theater today, we began discussing some of these little nuggets of truth. I pointed out that the leaf men's saying about how "they were many leaves but all connected" reminded me of Romans 12:4-6a which says, "for just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, accordi

The cheerful heart has a continual feast . - Proverbs 15:15 A few years ago, I asked my three kids what things they most enjoyed doing together as a family. I anticipated they'd say amusement parks, restaurants, and trips. I wasn't prepared for their answers. . . My kids prefer UNO to Chuck E. Cheese? They'd rather go on a hike than to Disneyland? They asked for togetherness, for time, for fun. Ultimately, they value the same thing I treasured with my grandpa: the simple gift of laughter. Laughter gives life. When our family laughs together, we make memories, and our hearts are bound by joy. Laughter doesn't deny the hardships and struggles. Like, Grandpa, we face illness and pain and an unknown future, And yet, because of Jesus, we can still laugh. Laughter lightens the load. Laughter makes memories. When they're grown, I want (my kids) to remember our home as a place that rang with laughter. I want them to recall the mealtimes when our sides ached, not fro

God intended that we become witnesses of his beauty, design, color, and pleasure so that we could gain a more intimate, real and personal knowledge of him. God does not want to be just a thought to know, but a personally engaging friend and Father whose relationship with us is filled with memory, delight, and moments to be experienced and enjoyed. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4 Through nature, we observe that ours is a God of variety. The key to enjoying God in every moment of these daily pleasures is to open the eyes of my mind to see and to appreciate what he has given. A thankful heart galvanizes the connection between my God and me. It is when we come to see what he has given that we begin to be mature. It is when we understand that God's gifts are with consideration of our truest needs - for love, beauty, purpose, belonging - instead of for our selfish gratification, material possessions, ownership. When we are humble and appreci

The local sheriff had decided to tighten the requirements for his deputies. Each man had to qualify on the firing range, and the distance had been extended from fifteen yards to twenty-five yards. So the deputies gathered to try their hand at hitting the target at the increased distance. Each man had eighteen seconds to get off twelve shots. The best shot in the area is also a personal friend, George Burgin, who, together with his wife, Corenne, keeps an eye on Bill and me. The day before the trials he had been fitted with his first pair of trifocals. When his time came to shoot, he drew a bead on the target. "Suddenly," as he told me later, "I began to perspire. And when I perspire, my glasses fog up. There I was with a bead drawn on the target, and all I could see was fog." "Then I remembered what our old Navy instructor had taught us: "If (for some reason) you ever lose sight of the target,' he said, 'just remember your position.'"

Our biblical act of worship is not what we do on Sunday mornings in coats and ties, but our act of worship is a lifelong, seven-days-a-week process of placing ourselves upon an altar of sacrifice. Worship is living the principles of Christ in everything we do. You're worshiping god by what you do all week long. What's the difference between a Christian who's reaching out to people, trying to help people - and a Christian who sits like a fat cat on a pew? Well, maybe the Christian who's reaching out realizes the urgency and remembers what it was like before he knew about Jesus. Maybe he realizes that when people need help, they need Jesus above all else. When you take food to the poor, that's an act of worship. When you give a word of kindness to someone who needs it, that's an act of worship. When you write someone a letter to encourage them or sit down and open your Bible with someone to teach them, that's an act of worship. We're in a fast-moving

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4 Sally Clarkson writes in her book "Dancing with My Father" - "Life has been so much harder than I ever thought it would be as a child!" I concur! As she explored the verses in James above she found these nuggets of truth - "These verses focus more on developing internal righteousness and character. The testing James referred to is more of a practice and exercise of skill and strength, an external ability. In other words, we may make a commitment in our hearts to love Jesus and to follow him, but there come contests, so to speak, in our lives in which we have the opportunity to show and to prove the reality of our faith by our actions and our behavior. Only then is our faith worth something, and only then d