Knock, knock...Who's there?
How many of us would order an item and then not expect it
to be delivered? Certainly not me.
Whether it be pizza, a new book or a part for a furnace, if I have asked
for it then I anticipate someone will come to our door with the requested item.
The same is true when we ask of our Daddy God.
...and this is where I pressed “delete” on my original post.
Why? Because I’m exhausted dealing with a sick child and I was trying to edit
my writing AND it’s snowing outside. Yes, it’s five days into Spring and it’s
snowing…a lot.
But I’m not complaining because something so much better
came across my screen. Here’s what it
said,
"It's March 25th and it's snowing. Here's your "aww" moment of zen about that: We have family friends who just got their daddy back from deployment and they're having "Christmas" today. On Sunday at church, their son prayed for a white Christmas for daddy."Merry Christmas little buddy! Enjoy this blessed surprise Spring gift from God with your family!
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened." Matthew 7:7-11
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
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When God Saves a Life
I was an exhausted, expectant mom, seven months along, managing
a multi-million dollar property.
I had just found a new OBGYN because the one I was seeing
since the beginning of my pregnancy let me go. She did not agree with my desire to have an unmedicated birth. (Still shake my head at that one) Adding to the confusion, my new doctor could not understand why I
had an uncontrollable itch all over my abdomen and feet. But I didn’t have time
for that. My position was much “too important” to let sleep deprivation and
discomfort take precedence. After all, I was in the process of hiring a new assistant.
On a Friday night I made the call to my regional office
telling them the legal notices would need to wait until the next morning. I would return to the still quiet of a
Saturday to finish.
But God had a different plan.
My morning stretch produced a gush of water that ushered in a
panic. There would be no going into the office to finish anything deemed
important.
I was thankful for my new doctor who was ready to battle on
my side. She had strict instructions for
the hospital staff which played an instrumental role in buying time for our
little girl.
After receiving medication to stop labor, being pumped with
IV fluids and antibiotics, unceasing prayer, strict bed rest, conference calls
with my regional office, two rounds of steroid treatments for our preemie’s
lungs…labor began again on a Monday night.
Early on Tuesday
morning, March 11 2003, my baby girl only 17” long was welcomed into this world
by a team of NICU doctors and nurses.
It was discovered much later that I had been suffering with a rare condition
called Cholestasis which was threatening to take the life of my baby. I am happy to report we just celebrated her 11th birthday!
I see my Spring baby
as a reminder -- sometimes you have to let go in order to spring forward. We may be traveling in one direction but God sees
what’s ahead. He may give us some difficult turns but it may be because He is
trying to save a life.
Is it yours?
No matter what you
are going through, let go, spring forward and in all things give thanks.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
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Christmas - It's only the Beginning
Being ready for Christmas can be a challenge, even to a mature
Christian. The hardest part of the season for me is not the pressure retailers
put on our family or feeling the need to go here and there or go to yet one
more get together. It’s not the decorations or the shopping or the gift
wrapping or even the average weight gain.
(Yikes) For me the challenge is
the “after” Christmas when presents have been unwrapped and social media is
full of who-can-put-Christmas-away-the-fastest. It pains me to see how much joy
people have to “finally put away the clutter” or threaten to “scream if one
more Christmas song is played”.
Why? Because I look forward to Christmas for its simplicity
and complexity. Not that others don’t,
but I long to savor and drink in the moments of quiet reflection, long after
the calendar gives permission. I love the reminder our tree gives us of
traditions adopted by faith and adapted by families. For me, it’s difficult to
understand why others don’t see it that way. But I have to remind myself that
Christmas isn’t about the decorations or the egg nog or the presents. Christmas is not IN those things.
Yes, just like in Whoville, Christmas trees and decorations
and presents can be cleaned up and whisked away but that doesn’t mean something…or
Someone has been taken from me.
Ultimately, Christmas entered this world through the most
basic and primal of all human experiences – childbirth. Christmas was born just like you and me,
innocent and helpless wrapped in swaddling clothes. There is nothing simpler than a baby because a
baby brings hope and visions of a better tomorrow. And the baby whose birth we celebrate is God
himself, the author of Hope, the Promise Keeper of better tomorrows.
No lit up Christmas tree can ever give me that.
This Christmas, after everything is cleaned and put away,
try to take some time to reflect on the greatest story ever told. Remember the wooden
trough our Lord laid in was just the beginning.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
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Awakening
Recently God
has been taking me on a journey of awakening.
He has taken my hand, walked me out of my comfort zone and with much
patience and tenderness has opened my eyes to see His heart. I need to be transparent and vulnerable with
you right now. I was not prepared to share this but in order to break my chains
of complacency, I must.
One morning in
my quiet time, I felt an overwhelming flood of Love wash over me. In that
moment, I saw my life and everything around me literally in God’s hands. The
fact I was alive that very morning is God’s gift. The fact I was even born is
God’s gift. The fact that I was born in America is God’s gift.
Can you and
I chew on that last statement?
I am in a
country where there is food on store shelves.
There is clean, drinkable water in the tap. There is a secure door on my
home. We have more than one change of clothes. We have a school my daughter can
attend. I have access to doctors if any of us are ill. There is not one but TWO
vehicles in the driveway. The list goes on and on and on…
I don’t know
why God purposed me to be born here and not in a slum in Africa or India or the
Philippines or any other part of the world where to simply live would not
necessarily be a given. What I do know is
what His Word says to me, “When
someone has been given much, much will be required in return;” (Lk 12:48)
I don’t know about you but
God is lovingly reminding me that I am an earthen vessel full of His blessings.
What good am I to sit still and not pour out?
I become like stagnant water. Instead, I can be life giving by being thankful
for what I already have and learning to live simply so others may simply live. I
am grateful to my Heavenly Father for this awakening. I am ready to celebrate,
share and declare the greatness of God!
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
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God: The Great Guidance Counselor
It was tedious. And stressful. And, often, a headache.
I'm 44. I look back at all the twists and turns of my life and see a gal who God has created and used as a Teacher, Director, and Coach. To use those gifts, however, He has moved my schedule around.
Often. And in scary/surprising ways.
He has used those gifts and abilities in some pretty non-traditional environments, locations, and professions. Always sticking to the root of WHO He created me to be - but not always using me where I would have dreamed.
Perhaps changing one's coursework or major has less to do with the question of "What do you want to do in life?" and more to do with "Who has He created you to be in this life?"
The second question opens up WAY more possibilities for Him to use us, don't you think?
Not sure WHO you are?
I highly suggest Storyline, by Donald Miller, as a means to start your journey. And by start, that doesn't mean one must be young to switch majors from "same ole, same ole" to incredible movement . . . one can start at 30, 40, heck, come on 65'ers -allow God to use WHO you are, not just WHAT you do . . .
It's not an easy process. But, why should it be.
Changing majors has never been so rewarding when one is sitting at the feet of the Great Guidance Counselor.
Make an appointment.
Joline Atkins is your server today! Find out more about her here and don't forget to sign up for updates by email or RSS before you go.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
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Box-shakers. All of You.
A hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is the tree of life.
- Proverbs 13:12
Admit it. You’re a box-shaker. You lurk around the Christmas tree, looking for packages addressed to you. After the traditional “shake”, you consider the size, shape and sound of the little wrapped mystery and you hope for what gift might be unveiled come Christmas Day.
The best is when you open that gift, and it’s way better than you ever dreamed or imagined.
For me, that about sums up the Hope of Advent. The Gift has been delivered. It is not yet time to fully reveal the Gift, so we examine it. We shake it up a bit as we try to make sense of it. The good news is, no matter how much we jostle it around, three truths will remain unshaken:
One, the Gift is addressed to you.
Two, the mystery of the Gift has planted a longing within us to fully unwrap it.
And three, once fully revealed, the Gift will prove to be far more than we ever dreamed or imagined.
So, shake away my friends! Examine and embrace. Hope for the revelation. He’s coming.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
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