Category: Hope
The Shepherd’s Lamb, and Ours, Too
A couple of blogs ago I gave a link to the series, The Chosen.
This time I want to bring to you the short film that started it all.
Writer and director, Dallas Jenkins (son of Jerry B. Jenkins who gave us the Left Behind series and more), shares here the story of how God led him to make The Chosen through a short film (24 minutes) he made for his church’s Christmas Eve service. How at the moment he felt like a failure the Lord led him to depend on Him to make a series that is defying all odds.
The Christmas Eve special about the birth of Jesus is told from the perspective of the shepherds, one in particular.
Grab some tissue. And maybe share with your family and friends. I’m going to. Hearing all God did to bring it to pass, I can’t wait to see what He does through it.
Merry Christmas!
What Hope Looks Like
Not gonna lie, this Christmas has been a little bit more difficult than usual.
I’ve needed more recuperating/decorating/planning/shopping time from Thanksgiving to Christmas and had less; we’ve had a storm of things breaking down over the past 8 weeks or so, sometimes two things conspire to break down at once; we’ve had multiple plans change beyond our control; and this Christmas season has been one of those I miss, well, a lot. But I know I’m not alone.
The holidays are notorious for being stressful, wishful, mournful. We’re worn and weary. Family members can be difficult to deal with, and so can not having them with us. We can compare our lives to others and think theirs looks like a Hallmark Christmas movie or a Rockwell painting.
And then there’s the outside world with its constant fighting, crime, threats. I can’t read the news without seeing words like hostile, accuses, attacks, and my personal favorite – throws shade. (Where do people come up with these phrases?) So much pride, so much hate, so much despair.
With all that going on we can start to feel a little lacking in peace. In hope.
So where can we find hope? What exactly does hope look like?
Hope looks like this.
A young woman who humbled herself and answered the call of God on her life no matter the cost.
A young man who humbled himself, obeyed God, and married a pregnant woman.
And Hope Himself, The King and Creator of the world who humbled Himself, giving up all that was rightfully His – His throne, His equality with God, His divine splendor, His right to be treated like the King He was, and was born a helpless babe, for the joy that was set before Him…
And that joy was us.
To forge a relationship with us so that no matter what’s going on in our personal lives or in the world around us, He can be our Light in a dark and weary world, He can give us His peace that passes all understanding, and He can give us hope.
He calls on those of us who are weary to come to Him and He will give us rest.
I know firsthand that’s true. It doesn’t always come immediately, but if we keep seeking Him, it will come.
I was walking around the house the other day, and though I’m not normally one to spontaneously break out in song (the very next gift I’m getting after my crown is a beautiful singing voice), I suddenly found myself singing a song I hadn’t even thought of in a while. And it made me smile.
My Lord, my Heavenly Father, had heard my cries, seen my weary heart, and turned my focus again toward what’s important – my relationship with Him, my eternal salvation, my hope in the life of the One who came to save me and all this weary world.
It may not be a traditional Christmas song, but it embodies the spirit of it as much as any.
I hope you’ll come away from the stress of the season, from the world, from life and weariness, and embrace the Hope that was born that day in all humility for the joy of knowing you and giving you hope.
Why Christmas in the Fall is a Good Thing – Really
Soon (if we haven’t already) we’ll be seeing Christmas decorations in the store and hearing Christmas music, and we’ll start saying to each other “Can you believe there’s Christmas stuff up in the stores already?”
But there’s one good reason to start talking about Christmas in October, and that’s for Operation Christmas Child. This year will be the 26th year Samaritan’s Purse has collected and delivered shoeboxes to children all over the world, not only giving them gifts they never would have otherwise had, but introducing them to the love of Jesus, and immeasurably changing countless lives forever.
And in order to get those shoeboxes where they need to go before Christmas, collections begin early – a mere 44 days from today, November 18th to the 25th. Just click on the hyperlink above and they’ll show you how to pack a shoebox and where your local drop-off locations are.
Yes, it’s easy, and it’s definitely a lot of fun, especially if you take your kids to help pick out the gifts or have a shoebox packing party.
It’s a simple act for us to do, but the impact the gift boxes have on these kids is not small. Here’s the story of Boun Thorne. It’s a tough, real story of a girl who grew up with no hope, finding hope in the person of Jesus Christ through someone who took the time to fill a shoebox with some simple gifts, and the power of His love, and how God’s blessed her since.
How God Can Put Together the Broken Pieces of Our Heart
Last weekend our church had the distinct privilege of hearing this man give a little bit of his testimony about what happened on the day this photo was taken and afterward. You might be familiar 
with this image of Chris Fields and Miss Baylee Almon that was taken, unbeknownst to him, on April 19, 1995, the day of the Oklahoma City bombing.
He described a little bit about that horrific, rainy day that would end the lives of 168 people, 19 of them children, and injured more than 500. How rows of first responders dug their way through rubble, 5 gallon buckets at a time, passing each one behind him or her until late into the night, looking for people, dead or alive. How they had to try to match body parts to the rest of the body. How they came across a woman, barely alive, and were able to get her to safety, only to learn later that she and her unborn baby didn’t survive.
And how another firefighter handed Miss Baylee (the name her family called her) to him for a few moments while he went to find something to lay down so they wouldn’t have to lay someone’s precious child directly on the ground. Even how the Pulitzer Prize winning photo itself caused a lot of grief and controversy.
Chris struggled hard to deal with all that had happened. Sometime later, when the smell of wet cement triggered a flashback of that day, he began to realize just how much the events were affecting him.
Chris talked about the fact that his mom had always been the family’s prayer warrior, and she told him God had a plan for him. But Chris didn’t see it, and he decided to make his own plan, and he moved away from his wife and young sons.
Chris’s wife, Cheryl, talked about the fact that she didn’t grow up in a Christian family like Chris had. Still, when her husband left, she turned to the Bible. People encouraged her to read the Psalms, and when she didn’t understand something, she called Chris to explain. And she began to pray.
She didn’t try putting on pretenses with God. She was honest. She prayed that if Chris wasn’t coming back, the Lord would take away her love for him.
Some people might not dare pray a prayer like that. Some people might just get mad at God and not pray at all. And they might miss out on all God wants to do in their lives because of it.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29
Cheryl kept praying, and never once did God turn her away for praying that prayer. On the contrary. Sitting in the presence of God, over and over, allowed God to work in her heart. Of course, God didn’t take away her love for Chris. He strengthened it.
God filled Cheryl with His amazing grace. And when Chris called one day about a year and a half after he’d left, Cheryl said, “Come home.”
And he did.
I’m sure the road since hasn’t been easy. There’s been counseling, and Chris still gets emotional talking about it. But with God they’ve persevered.
Since then Chris and Cheryl have spoken to many groups about PTSD, and about the hope that God gives. Looks like Chris’s mom was right (as moms often are).
The enemy does not have the last word. he will not have the last word as long as we sit with God and pour out our hearts to Him. He will never turn away someone who’s genuinely seeking Him, no matter what the prayer.
God’s not one bit surprised at the thoughts we have. He knows our hearts better than we do and already knows the thoughts we have. He just wants us to be honest, and know we can go to Him with anything. He’s our loving Father, and He wants us to know that no matter how broken our hearts are, if we’ll offer up those pieces to Him in prayer, He can put them together even better than they were before. If we abide in Him – cling to Him – through the good, the bad, and the ugly, He can fill us with His love and grace and mercy, fulfill His plans for us, and set us on a path we never dreamed possible.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for all you do. Thank you for loving us through everything, for giving us your strength and courage as we go through trials. Help us to give you our hearts, no matter how dark they seem or how many pieces they’re in, so you can heal them and fill them with your light. Help us to daily abide in Christ. Help us hold onto Him, to pray without ceasing, no matter what. Make us more than conquerors, Lord, and we pray that you have the last, victorious, glorious word in our hearts and in our lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.