Whatever is Pure Archives
 I Lift My Eyes Christian Books |
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Authentic Relationships: Discover the Lost Art of one anothering By Wayne Jacobsen & Clay Jacobsen / Baker In a culture that promotes isolation and autonomy, this book reveals life-changing methods for creating healthy relationships and authentic community. Readers learn to apply new Testament principles that capture the essence of Jesus' teachings about effectively caring, serving, and loving one another. Beginning with God's simple command to "love one another," this book shows you how to: Complete with discussion questions, this book is appropriate for both individuals and church groups. It is a must for all Christians who wish to practice being the church rather than merely attending one. |
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Encouraging One Another, Women of Faith Bible Studies Katherine highly recommends this bible study for both men and women. The art of speaking encouragement and the art of receiving encouragement with graciousness and openness are desperately needed in the lives of all believers. |
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The Kid's Guide to Service Projects: Over 500 Service Ideas for Young People Who Want to Make a Difference By Barbara Lewis Pick a topic that interests you-animals, community development, crime fighting, the environment, friendship, hunger, literacy, politics and government, safety, senior citizens or something else. Then flip through this book to find ideas for service projects, from simple, to large-scale that involve whole communities. Start making a difference today! |
Whatever is Pure - Christmas 2008
Don't Forget to Prepare for the Guest Of Honour
"Prepare for God's arrival!
Make the road straight and smooth,
a highway fit for our God.
Fill in the valleys,
level off the hills,
Smooth out the ruts,
clear out the rocks.
Then God's bright glory will shine
and everyone will see it.
Yes. Just as God has said."
Isaiah 40:1-11 (The Message)
I have had the blessing of being an invited dinner guest in family homes all across North America and in South America and Asia. I have dined on bamboo mats carefully placed over compacted dirt floors; I have eaten in formal dining rooms whose walls graced with fine and expensive artwork. I have sat around kitchen tables, I've sat at picnic tables and I've stood around many campfires, carefully balancing a paper plate and a Styrofoam cup of juice. I have eaten prime rib with all the accompaniments and I have shared a hard boiled egg with a small bowl of rice between two people. More than once, I ate local delicacies that were foreign to my tongue in many ways. I have been both humbled and blessed by the kind hospitality offered, I have received each gift of friendship, and fellowship offered me with a very grateful heart.
Although my hosts' circumstances greatly varied, my hosts' shared two commonalities: preparation and a desire to bless me as their guest. In Northern Ontario, my hosts literally ploughed a road to their door and had snowmobiles laying in wait in case their Christmas guests needed alternative modes of transportation. In Thailand, my hostess rolled up her family bedding, storing it carefully in a corner then used the sleeping mats to form a makeshift table, carefully positioned under a single red paper streamer that was left over from a neighbour's wedding. Year after year, I have marveled at the charming and festive decor of a dear friend who truly loves the Christmas season and loves her friends and family even more.
One of my more memorable dining hosts was my own brother who invited my best friend and me to his bachelor suite for a gourmet meal of boxed macaroni and cheese, with an exotic touch of a can of tuna and frozen mixed vegetables mixed in. My brother was not known for his housekeeping skills and my friend and I braced ourselves for the worst. We were happily surprised that he made room for three people to sit around his table and he had actually washed the plates and cutlery with soap and water, rather than his usual quick rinse under the tap. Our beverages were served in fast-food cups but at least they were plastic cups and had been washed. We closed our eyes to the rest of the clutter; it was the thought that counted. No matter how simple or lavish the meal; each host carefully planned the meal and prepared their homes in anticipation of my arrival.
Although my own circumstances have made it difficult for me to prepare meals for my guests, I do what I can in order to bless them, even if it as simple as heading down to the local store to buy their favourite brand of soda. I dust and tidy up, scrub the bathroom as best I can and select music that I hope will be a blessing to play in the background. I make sure I am well rested in order that I can be an attentive and cheerful host and I greet them with open arms.
The month before Christmas is called "Advent" in churches that follow the liturgical year. The word 'advent' is derived from the Latin adventus and means 'a coming or arrival'. Advent might be defined as a season of preparatory anticipation. At the time of the Roman Empire adventus referred to the arrival of a person of dignity and great power and importance, such as a king. It is unfortunate that many evangelical churches do not celebrate the season of Advent as it provides the perfect opportunity for Christians to stop and consider what their lives were like before they became followers of Jesus and what their lives are like now because of all his blessings.
In the same manner in which we clean and prepare our homes in the anticipation of welcomed guests and family members this Christmas season, let us also prepare our hearts in anticipation of the Lord's coming. Christ, our most honoured and eagerly anticipated guest, desires to meet with us in a heart prepared for his arrival. So eager is he to meet with us that he offers to help us with our spiritual housecleaning, working with us; creating a resting place for Himself within our hearts.
I wrote a series of Advent devotionals for 2006 and I offer them to you as perhaps stepping stones on your own journey of 'preparing the way'. You can find the devotions beginning at http://psalm121.ca/archive2006.html#1127123 You will find other helpful resources at I Lift My Eyes Christmas domain, http://blessingsofchristmas.com/
@2008 Katherine Walden
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Christian Quotes on Advent, Christmas Eve and Christmas
Bethlehem's Cradle, Calvary's Cross
Bethlehem's Cradle, Calvary's Cross
Did
Mary
know the price each would cost?
Announced by the Angels, Rejected by men.
Gift of the ages, Heaven's Diadem.
Bethlehem's Cradle,Calvary's Cross,
A life just beginning. A life lost.
Christ in the manger, a gift of love,
Christ in the garden, sweating drops of blood.
Bethlehem's Cradle needed Calvary's Cross,
Together they would redeem the lost.
One not complete without the other,
Both were required,sin's debt to cover.
Christ of the Cradle, Christ of the Cross,
No longer a Baby, No longer on the Cross,
Over death victorious, forever free,
This is his legacy to you and to me.
Please contact the author directly for permission to use in any print, web-based or electronic media
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"Your dad wants a divorce, and I’m giving it to him"
These were the words that sent my picture perfect world crashing down around me.
My body felt numb. Was this just a dream? My mother’s words rang in my ears over and over again, but they just didn‘t make any sense. Dazed and silent, my only thought was "why?" Why in the world was this happening to my family? Filled with anger, I hung up the phone and I cried.
My parents divorced after 35 years of marriage. They said they no longer loved each other and only stayed together for "the kids". I was dismayed and confused as I had never heard a ill-tempered word between the two of them. Even as an adult I was devastated when my parents divorced.
Nothing tested me more in my adult life than when my parents split up. I was 32 years old at the time. I had a great job, close friends, a loving husband, two beautiful children—all of the things that I thought made me rooted. Yet when my parents announced they were splitting up, I felt as if the world had collapsed in on me.
My life suddenly seemed a series of "lasts"—a final Christmas, a bitter end to Thanksgiving family get-togethers. I'd never again find my parents standing side by side on the porch, waving as I bring the boys to visit Grandma and Papa. Looking back, it seemed as if Mom and Dad had been faking it—which cheapened all my childhood memories.
The divorce of my parents meant the death of a way of life. I did a lot of grieving just as I would any other death. I grieved for the traditions that will never happen again - I grieved for our home, because though I was married and living in my own home, I had the knowledge that I could go home, if I ever needed to. Now I have lost that security, because home isn't there anymore, at least not as I knew it. The truth was their divorce disrupted my present, and rewrote my past.
I knew that forgiving my parents was key to my healing and becoming "whole" again. The problem was, I struggled with forgiveness a great deal. It was an extremely difficult concept for me. I'm generally a very closed and distant person. And when someone I care about hurts me, I close myself off even further towards them. My inability to forgive kept me stuck in a pattern of negativity and resentment towards both parents.
One cold December night when I was having trouble getting to sleep, I picked up my Bible and read in Matthew, "But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." I knelt by my bed and asked God for His grace to help me to forgive. I questioned if I forgave my father would my mother feel I wasn't being loyal to her? Would I be condoning their sin if I had a friendly relationship with them? The burden became too heavy for me to bear any longer. I cried to God "Help me please!". Then, I felt the warmth of the Holy Spirit. I wept uncontrollably. I knew I could not forgive in my own strength. God assured me that He would walk with me each step of the way. He made me an unconditional promise and there was absolutely nothing that could prevent its fulfillment.
Since that moment, I have been able to forgive my parents and realize that perhaps they did the best they could. My past is where it belongs; in the past. My parents love me. I really know that. I have now grieved the loss of what could have been, and forgiven them for not being perfect parents. Somehow grace has worked its miracle and I’ve been able to let go. It’s freed me of many of the burdens of my past Gone are my mental prisons created by harboring hard feelings towards my parents. Forgiving my parents freed me from their actions against me, as well as their actions against each other.
One year after learning of the divorce, the pain hasn't completely disappeared. Once in awhile a childhood memory will pop into my head. I’ll remember, and long for, the way things once were. But just as Jesus forgave those who hurt Him, I am also called to forgive those who hurt me.
Because in any case forgiveness can be a challenge, I pray and ask God for strength. I ask Him to change my heart to be graceful toward others, just as He is graceful toward me. Daily as I choose to forgive and not become bitter, negative feelings flow away and peace floods my soul.
Just as I had a choice in how I reacted to my parent's divorce, I have a choice in how I will handle my marriage and my walk with God. When I go to prayer I ask God to heal families who are struggling to hold on, and to keep families strong who are already grounded in Him. I ask Him to help me love, forgive, and obey Him in all circumstances especially concerning my own family. I won't allow my parent's divorce to destroy my marriage or to destroy me. Rather, I will allow it to change me into a person who bears good fruit so in the end I will have joy and God will be glorified. Despite the pain and the past, with God, I know I can face the future.
© 2008 Annita Hammonds
Annita is a Christian freelance writer who resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
Please contact Annita for permission before using her article in any printed, electronic or digital media, including email, blogs, message boards or any social media site.
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