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Song of the Daffodils
Once upon a time there was a happy house. The sun was shining, there were flowers all around, and the birds were chirping merrily. The structure was in good condition and the family who lived in the house were content and very satisfied with their daily lives.
But then a series of storms came and threatened to destroy the house. Yet even as the waters gradually dried out, their home slowly began to decay. Mold crept into the crawl spaces and and their home became less peaceful and safe.
But then, one disastrous day, a terrible lightning storm swept through the valley and the family decided that enough was enough. The left their home and moved away. Through the years it became overgrown with kudzuu and was unrecognizable. Who could have guessed what had once been underneath?
One of the small children who had grown up in the ‘happy house’ always remembered the joy that lived there. Ever since that terrible lightning storm the family had lived in fear and forever struggled to make ends meet. But something always stirred deep inside this child – a longing to return. On their seventeenth birthday they decided to take a trip to see their old home – if it still existed.
As they arrived at their former address their jaw dropped in disbelief. How was this possible? All they saw was an entangled mess of overgrown kudzuu encircling and engulfing the former structure of the house. Great tears of sadness overwhelmed this child as they struggled to remember the safety and security that once had permeated their life.
The old gravel driveway had been replaced with an asphalt two-laned highway which almost ran into the old house. It would only be a matter of time until this precious overgrown memory would collapse. The only shred of life were the few remaining daffodils that there family had planted. The child remembered the joy of seeing them slowly emerge up through the ground that next spring.
Looking at the dilapidated structure she felt hopeless. But yet, seeing the remaining daffodils something stirred deep inside. Falling to her knees she prayed, “Please help me remember what it felt like! Restore the hope that used to be inside me. I feel like those lightning storms stole away my childlike heart. Set me free! Jesus, help me!”
As she turned around she saw the most wonderful rays of light coming down from heaven. Prisms of light appeared before her eyes; myriads of colors turned the gloomy, cloudy atmosphere into a color-filled panorama of childlike wonder.
As she closed her eyes she was transported into a field of daffodils. The childlike memories, long hidden in the darkened confines of her mind, awoke and slowly streamed into her consciousness, just like the Heavenly Light streaming down from above. As she basked in the sweetness of those recollections something came alive inside her. She sensed a Voice speaking deep inside. This was the message she heard:
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will never fear even if every structure of support were to crumble away. God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it…. Be still, and know that I am God!
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The Pains of Therapy
I am in the process of receiving physical therapy for a torn (but not ruptured) Achilles tendon. Part of the healing process is having the physical therapist apply significant pressure / needling in order to help loosen up the scar formation. Needless to say, it hurts! I grit my teeth and endure the treatment because this temporary pain will actually be the pathway to health.
Shattered bones, dreams, or emotions I couldn’t help thinking of how counterintuitive it is to choose to expose an area of my life in order to facilitate the process of healing. Why would I want someone to touch and stimulate an area that is already hurting? There has to be a relationship of trust with my physical therapist in order for me to let them poke and probe around the area of pain. If I don’t believe they have my best interests at heart then I will not let down my guard and let them ‘hurt’ me.
How much more does this analogy apply to emotional and spiritual aspects of our lives? If someone begins to get close to an area that is emotionally tender, what is my knee-jerk response? Like Adam and Eve, I begin to sew fig leaves over my nakedness. I assume a posture of self-protection, and withdraw inside the perceived safety of my mind. But, just like physical therapy for my Achilles injury, I have to choose to open myself up if I want to receive healing.
The worst thing I can do is just hope that if I ignore the pain it will go away! If I keep it inside then I am choosing to keep things “safe” at my own peril. If I don’t believe the physical therapists have my best interests at heart then I will not let down my guard and let them ‘hurt’ me.
What about emotional / psychological therapy? The same dynamics are in play. Why would I choose to willingly expose my flaws, shortcomings, fears and insecurities? Because I believe that transparency can open up an avenue for Light to begin to enter darkened places and spaces.
When I kept it all inside, my bones turned to powder, my words became daylong groans. The pressure never let up; all the juices of my life dried up. Then I let it all out; I said, “I’ll come clean about my failures to God.” Suddenly the pressure was gone—my guilt dissolved; my sin disappeared.. (from Psalm 32)
Unconditional Love provides the safety to risk emotional exposure!
Thanks to everyone at Forward Physical Therapy in Knoxville, Tn. for their help and inspiration in writing this blog post!
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What is The Altar?
Most people, I believe, see The Altar as a place where they “go to pray the prayer” and get right with God. They can look back on their lives and even remember the specific day and time when they ‘walked the walk’ and got saved. Occasionally, in a deep state of desperation or intense conviction, people may go up front and kneel before God
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What if The Altar is simply (and most amazingly) a place where we go to encounter Jesus. What if, by going to The Altar, we are deliberately placing ourselves in a position to stand naked and unashamed in the Presence of God? What opportunities are we missing by thinking that an encounter with Jesus is limited to the first time we went up to The Altar? What are we afraid of?
As The Holy Spirit is beginning to stir up something deep inside us as the result of a message, a song, or simply experiencing God’s Presence – what might our response look like?
By making a deliberate choice to go to ‘The Altar’ we taking the posture of saying, “Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit; I want You to do more inside of me. I submit my brokenness to You and ask You to move inside me by the power and anointing of your Holy Spirit. I ask for wisdom and revelation in the areas You have lovingly and gently exposed in my life. Come and penetrate – come and shine Your Light in my life in a more profound and personal way.” Coming to The Altar is a “Selah Moment”. Pausing in the Presence of God.
“Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.” John 21: 25 What if a similar interaction between Jesus and the woman at the well happened multiple times in Jesus’ ministry? What if Jesus wept alongside many more people besides Mary and Martha over the death of Lazarus? What might happen if we chose to simply stand or kneel in God’s Presence?
Can we encounter Jesus in a similar way today? Coming to The Altar is a good place to start. What keeps us back? We say we believe that Jesus is in our midst when we gather together in His Name. But we often doubt the possiblity that anything supernatural could happen in those moments.
So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hole firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testing we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4: 14 – 16 -
The Silence of Snow
The moment I saw the snow falling I knew I had to hurry outside. I bundled up, started the car, and drove just a few minutes to nearby Lakeshore Park.
THE SILENCE OF SNOW Quietly settling on the ground Gradually covering grassy fields Snowfall gently blanketing my soul With a soothing, noiseless presence Diminishing the disharmony Of this world’s ceaseless racket Tranquility and sweet serenity Bring forth a welcoming calm Enveloped in a blissful shower Of one-of-a-kind snowflakes I am stirred by an invitation To join this wonderfully Divine Dance Standing unashamed in blissful embrace Enfolded and encompassed By warm welcoming arms In this small corner of creation But I am also aware Of our fallen eco humanity Where a Buffalo stampede of snow Cruelly destroys unsuspecting humankind In the midst of this swirling ecstasy Like Abraham, I realize my homesickness For an eternal city with eternal foundations Designed and built by God
The completed poem video I was mesmerized by the backlit stain glass in the chapel at Lakeshore as the snow continued pouring down from the heavens!
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The Unremarkable Christmas Tree
As usual the Settles family put off looking for their family Christmas tree until the week before Christmas. They were planning to get it six or seven days before Christmas Eve so that they could continue their family tradition of a special meal, decorating the tree with homemade strands of popcorn and cranberries and then topping things off with a piping hot cup of hot chocolate and eating Suze’s famous Christmas tree sugar cookies.
But this year a blizzard raged through the area and deposited over two and a half feet of snow. The roads were impassible and the power went out for short intervals. Fortunately, they had a wood burning stove that kept them warm throughout the blackouts. Battery operated flashlights and an assortment of candles provided enough light when needed after dusk.
Finally, on the day before Christmas, the sun came out and temperatures began to melt the ice and snow covering the landscape. Before long they heard the welcoming sound of a county snow plow clearing a path into town. The two of them worked together to open up a path for their four-wheel drive truck to escape down the long winding driveway.
Nick and Suze excitedly piled into the vehicle in the hopes of finding a suitable Christmas tree for the space in their living room. It had a vaulted ceiling which could easily accommodate a twelve-foot tree. All the necessary assortment of decorations had already been taken out of the storage closet. There were boxes of categorized ornaments, ribbons and garlands, wound up strands of lights that could have easily lit up all the rooms in the house, and of course the newly assembled lengths of popcorn and cranberry garland. Everything was ready except the tree.
They were mildly disappointed when they come to the first vendor. “I’m sorry, but due to the supply chain problems in our area we never got that many Christmas trees in the first place. We only received about 30 percent of our usual order, and those trees were snatched up within the first two days of their arrival. We were expecting another delivery, but the blizzard took care of that possibility. You can look around back if you’d like, but I’m afraid we’re just about out of trees.”
They got out of the car and discovered one gnarly specimen which was missing about twenty five percent of its branches and was also asymmetrical. “Forget about this one!” they said to each other. They drove to the only other two merchants in town and found out that they were completely sold out of Christmas trees.
“We’re not getting an artificial tree!” said Nick. “I’ll go out in the cold and find one that I can chop down!” Suze rolled her eyes, “Like Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation?” Pausing for an additional effect, she continued, “There’s over two and a half feet of snow on the ground all around our house and no fir trees within an acre. Do you think that would really be possible?”
Nick stroked his dark black beard, deep in thought. “Then what are our choices? Since we can’t possibly afford an artificial tree we have only two options. We can get that ratty, dilapidated old tree at the first lot or nothing at all. That pathetic tree looks like it won’t last but a few days, and will lose half its needles before we can finish decorating it. I almost hope it’s been sold, then our decision will be easy.”
Suze patted her stomach. “We have to get a tree Nick, this will be our babies first Christmas!” Nick looked at his wife and smiled. How could he not be overjoyed? Suze was pregnant with twins and her due date was January 25th. “We’ve been talking to our babies throughout the entire pregnancy.” She looked at Nick with her playful, mischievous eyes and said, “Don’t you remember what happened when Mary came to visit her cousin Elizabeth? Her baby inside leapt for joy.”
Nick knew what was coming. He playfully rolled his eyes and said, “So, if we don’t get a Christmas tree, no matter how unsightly it looks, we’ll be depriving our child of a dance inside your belly?” Suze clapped her hands right in front of his face with a triumphant look. “Exactly! Now let’s get over to that lot and buy that tree before someone else snatches it up!”
When they arrived at the first store the owner was getting ready to close up shop early. “You caught just me in time; I’m getting ready to shut down the place and go home early to celebrate with my family. What can I do for you? I’ll give you half off all Christmas decorations in the store, and throw in some free hot chocolate.” “Actually, we wanted to take one more look at that tree out back. No one bought it, did they?” asked Nick in a hopeful tone of voice. Suze playfully poked him in the ribs and said, “I hope no one had the audacity to get our 2022 Christmas Tree!”
Sure enough, the straggly specimen was still there; all alone in the back lot. The owner smiled as he looked at Nick and Suze. He couldn’t help notice the large bump underneath Suze’s coat, but wasn’t about to comment on that. There were certain things you just didn’t risk mentioning.
“Merry Christmas!” he smiled, “Let this tree, and two cups of hot chocolate be my gift to your family.” Motioning towards a wooden box located near the back corner of the building, he told Nick, “The twine and box cutter are right there. I’ll go get the hot chocolate and close up the store.” He looked at Suze, “You’re welcome to come inside the store for a few minutes if you’d like. It’s getting colder with this wind picking up. I believe another storm is getting ready to come through. I think we’ll all have an even whiter Christmas when we wake up in the morning.”
“Thanks so much”, replied Suze, “But I think I’ll stay here with Nick and make sure he’s gentle with our new tree. Thank you so much for this gift!” As Nick carefully lifted the tree on top of the car and began to secure it to the luggage rack more needles began falling off. Nick didn’t say it out loud, but he was thinking that if the wind picked up on their way home there would be nothing left of that tree. One word came to his mind: ‘firewood’. It would be pretty easy to chop it up and toss it into their woodburning stove.
But Suze had eyes of faith. As she looked at that tree she saw beauty. There was something about the simplicity and asymmetry that touched a place deep inside her. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but intuitively knew that this particular tree had been given to them for a reason. As she and Nick drove home she began thinking of where they could put it, and how they would choose to decorate that small tree.
Suze unlocked the back door and began opening up a sturdy old card table. She arranged a well-worn Christmas quilt with a nativity scene on the tabletop so that it that hung all the way down to the floor on each side. She looked through her Christmas closet and found an old, smaller tree stand that would easily fit on the card table and support their small tree. Nick came in, dusting off snow from his winter jacket. “Can you believe it snowing again? I’m thankful we didn’t get caught outside in this weather tonight. It looks like we could get a lot more snow.”
Suze was already picking out a few strands of twinkling white lights to place around the tree. Nick carefully placed the tree in the tree stand and lifted it up on top of the card table. “Great job Suze!” he said, “The tree already looks better. I’m going to google ‘how to keep a Christmas tree alive’. I think our little tree will need all the extra help it can get.” Nick went to his computer and as he began to type in his search criteria he let out a loud moan. “What’s the matter Nick?” Suze shouted out. “Oh, nothing much; only an error message: ‘No internet connection available. Please check the router and connections.’ Can you believe it? It looks like this new snow storm had already messed up the internet. I just hope and pray the power stays on.”
Nick stoked the fire and noticed that they had a meager supply of firewood in their storage rack next to the woodburning stove. He put on his hat, gloves and jacket and went out to get plenty more firewood. As he came back in he stomped the snow off his green muck boots. “The snow is accumulating fast. I bet there’s at least five inches on top of the driveway path we shoveled earlier.
Suze smiled broadly, “This tree is shaping up nicely, don’t you think?” Nick turned slowly, expecting to find a poor substitute for their usually well decorated tree. But instead, he was pleasantly surprised at what Suze had done. The tree had twinkling white lights and interlaced threads of garland. The popcorn and cranberry strands provided a rich contrast that drew attention towards their beauty and minimized the plainness of the tree. Suze had actually made that scrawly little tree look exponentially better than it had looked in the lot behind the store.
Suze stepped back, put one arm around Nick, then took his hand and placed it over her protruding abdomen and whispered, “Sharing this Christmas together as a family will be wonderful.” Gesturing towards the little tree she said, “Don’t you just love the few simple strands of twinkling lights?” Suze continued, “I picked out just a few decorations; some of our favorites. I thought that hanging too many on the tree would take away from the simplicity of our 2022 Christmas.”
The two of them, along with their unborn twins, listened to Christmas Carols as they hung the ornaments together. They popped some popcorn in coconut oil in an old pot on the top of the woodburning stove. Nick and Suze were mesmerized by the sound and smell of the slowly popping kernels. That aroma was woven together with the sweet scent of burning hickory wood.
They held each other tightly as God’s peaceful presence filled the room. “Let’s read another one of our Advent Devotionals”, said Nick. “Great idea!” said Suze, patting her belly. “The twins always seems to love each new story. There’s an excitement when we begin and then the babies begin to get quiet. I wonder if they’re also sensing God’s presence. Nick went to get the book and as he returned he began whistling his favorite Christmas carol; What Child is This.
“I love you Suze!” he almost shouted, “Thanks for seeing the potential in this scraggly old tree in the back of that parking lot. It wasn’t much to look at, but you’ve made it beautiful.” Nick motioned for her to come and sit on the sofa beside him. “This is already shaping up to be our best Christmas ever!” said Suze, her voice filled with excitement. “Read the story, Nick.”
As he opened the book and began to read from Isaiah 9: 6. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end.”
Just as he finished reading the opening scripture Nick and Suze’s cellphones both chimed as they received a National Weather Service Center Alert. “A severe winter watch is in effect for the next 48 hours. Considerable accumulations of snow and ice are expected with possible damage to power lines and local utilities. This winter storm may also result in spotty internet coverage due to wind gusts over 50 miles per hour possibly damaging cell towers. We advise residents to stay at home and not attempt traveling in these treacherous conditions, as snow accumulations may result in an additional two feet of snow.”
“What were we saying about this being our best Christmas ever?” Nick looked at Suze and said, “Now where were we? Let’s start over again.” Suze took the devotional book from his hand and said, “Let me read it this time.” She began reading, “Isaiah 9: 6. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end”
As she finished reading the last word ‘end’ all the power went out! All the lights on the tree, the LED displays on the oven and microwave, and worst of all the heating unit cut off. The only light and source of heat in their home was coming from the glowing coals and flaming logs inside their wood burning stove.
“I’ll get all the battery-operated flashlights and lanterns.” said Nick. “All right!” replied Suze, “When you get back with a flashlight I’ll go gather all the candles and the matches. The food in the refrigerator should be fine and we’ll try not to open the freezer until after the power comes back on.”
Nick arrived back in front of the fireplace and handed Suze a battery powered lantern. “I’m going to go outside and bring in more firewood. We’ll need to keep the fire nice and hot to do any kind of cooking on top of it. Suze also got some extra blankets out of their storage space and spread two on top of their bed and brought two more to the couch in front of the fireplace.
“Nick!” Suze whispered, “Look at the tree!” With the absence of lights on the tree all they could see was plain, scrawny branches with the fire casting a flickering light on the Christmas quilt. The manger scene was illuminated and overlaid with fiery flames. They couldn’t take their eyes off of that surreal sight.
The darkness of their home, due to the power outage, magnified their view of the manger. There were no competing tree lights, garlands or reflective ornaments. There was no music playing in the background or any other lighting except the small focused light on the manger.
Both of them began to excitedly share their thoughts about this experience. Could all the attention on tree trimming and a house filled with Christmas decorations and skillfully wrapped presents actually diminish the focus of what Christmas was really all about?
Why did God choose for Jesus to be born in Bethlehem, symbolized by their barren, unattractive Christmas tree? He could have been born in Jerusalem with fanfares of trumpets and adoring crowds cheering the announcement of his birth. There could have been parties and festivities throughout the city. Twinkling lights, glitter covered ornaments and the smell of wassail.
Why did God choose to announce the birth of His Son to a group of lowly shepherds? Why wasn’t there a welcoming committee to welcome Joseph and Mary when they arrived in Bethlehem? Why was there no guest room available, forcing them to lay him in a manger instead of a comfortable bed?
Nick held the flashlight to the previous day’s scripture reading from Isaiah 53: “Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him.” As they looked at their unremarkable tree they saw its true beauty.
It had taken the snowstorm and resulting power outage for them to gain this deeper perspective about Messiah’s birth. In this simple, unpretentious setting their eyes had been opened to see the forest through the trees. Jesus’ true beauty was not in his unremarkable outer appearance, but in the presence of The Holy Spirit coming from deep inside him.
They spent the next day and a half huddling together on their pull-out couch, covered in layers of blankets. Sitting in front of the fire, they continued to meditate on the beautiful simplicity of God’s gift of Jesus Christ at Christmas. The three of them bonded together in a rich atmosphere of thankfulness.
About six o’clock in the evening of December 26th the power came back on. Shortly after that their cell phone service was restored and they were able to get on the internet. Yet their joy was tempered by the fact that the tree was now illuminated with twinkling lights and the living room seemed to be flooded with light. They had become so used to only the light of the fire and now they looked at each other with mixed expressions of sorrow and joyful relief.
“I’m glad things are finally getting back to normal, “said Suze, “but I really don’t want things to ever be the same as before.” Nick hugged her tenderly as his hand caressed the twins inside her belly. “Who would have guessed that we would both come to treasure a scrawny, unexceptional tree and actually enjoy being without phone and internet connections and power? Our woodburning stove and its radiant heat and light were more than enough to make this Christmas more wonderful than either of us could ever have imagined.
Nick and Suze decided that every Christmas afterward, they would have a simple, undecorated, imperfect tree in the foyer of their home. Whenever guests inquired about the reason for that tree being there, Nick and Suze would retell the story of their best Christmas ever! The Christmas of 2022.
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Cancel Christmas?
Once there was a young unmarried teenage girl named Mary living in the town of Nazareth. She had the strangest dream. In the dream an angel was standing at her bedside. At first she was terribly afraid. But the angel named Gabriel said, ““Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus.” Mary said to the angel, “But how? I’ve never slept with a man.” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you; the child you deliver will be called Holy, Son of God.”
Mary was full of emotion when she woke up the next day. Excited and terrified. She recalled from the night before a wonderful, warm Presence hovering over her after the angel left, but didn’t think any more of it. After three months went by, she realized she was pregnant. But Mary knew she had never slept with anyone. She remembered Gabriel’s words, but how could she explain this to Joseph and to her parents?
When she first tried to describe her experience to Joseph, he was shocked. With a distressed look on his face, he said, “I love you Mary, but I honestly don’t know what to think about all this. I need some time to consider all that you’ve told me.” Mary was in tears. How could she go through this pregnancy alone, without the support of either Joseph or her parents? The rest of the day she spent worrying and trying to figure a way out of her predicament.
That night she sank into a fitful sleep, tossing and turning in her bed. All of a sudden she felt an angel of light hovering over her. A smooth, silky voice whispered in her ear. The voice reminded her of Gabriel, but there was a slight dissonance that Mary couldn’t put her finger on.
“Mary,” the voice said, “There is another choice you can make. I will show you a solution to your problem.” The angel’s voice produced a hypnotic heaviness over Mary, and as she slowly closed her eyes she found herself flying upwards into the air beyond the clouds. She gasped as she looked around her, because she was now in the middle of more stars than she could have ever imagined.
Next she saw a spinning globe, but had absolutely no idea what it was. Mary wasn’t sure of what was happening, but the sphere was getting closer and closer. She began seeing pictures with words that she shouldn’t have been able to understand, but she did. ‘AMERICA’, what was that?
The voice whispering in her ear, “America is a great country that exists in the future. It is a place of freedom and self-determination. You can choose how your life will unfold. I am about to open a door for you to walk through.” Then she saw the words, ‘Knoxville, Tennessee’
The voice continued, “Knoxville is a place of opportunity. You will encounter signs directing your path. Follow those directoins and a solution will present itself. It will help solve your problem with Joseph and your parents. Everything will go back to just the way it was.”
Suddenly she was there! Mary was standing in a strange new place! She was no longer in Nazareth. Everything was so different. Mary turned around; she saw a beautiful house with plants arranged on a front porch with a sign placed in front part of the yard.
A kind looking woman came out of the house with the sign and asked, “Mary, are you all right? You look confused. Do you know where you are?” Everything in Mary’s mind was fuzzy. Where was she? She looked down at her stomach and remembered she was pregnant.
“Are you pregnant?” asked the kind woman. “Yes, but I don’t remember how it happened,” replied Mary. “Do you know who the father is? Are you going through this all alone?” Putting her arm around Mary with a look of genuine concern the woman spoke. “Why don’t you come inside and sit down. I think it’s more than coincidence that you’ve found yourself right on our doorstep.” Glancing towards her front lawn, she said, “You might even say that it’s a sign that you’re here!”
Mary recalled the voice that had just recently spoken to her: ‘Mary, I’m about to show you a sign that will solve your problem.’ Something didn’t feel completely right, but Mary couldn’t identify it. She asked, “What does ‘Abortion Access for All’ mean?”
The woman was pleased to address her question. “Mary, I’m here to help you. The prospect of becoming a single mother is daunting to say the least. I’d like to take you to meet some friends of mine that operate a medical clinic. They are very knowledgeable about your situation and will be able to offer you another option.”
They quickly arrived at the clinic. A very kind nurse, accompanied by the woman that Mary first met, ushered Mary into the room where the doctor would examine her. After performing an exam he spoke, “You are about three months pregnant. I’d like to discuss your options. The woman who Mary first met gently squeezed her hand and said, “This is what the sign in our front yard refers to: Abortion Access for All.
As the details of an abortion procedure were explained to Mary she was confused. Could something like this actually make her pregnancy go away? She wondered if this was safe, and if anything could go wrong. The smooth-talking angelic voice continued whispering in Mary’s ear, “These kind-hearted people are here to help you. Just trust me and know I have your best interests at heart. Just relax and listen to the music. This will all be over soon.”
The next thing Mary knew was that she was waking up from a drugged sleep. She felt a cramping inside her stomach and began to throw up. As she looked down on the ground Mary saw drops of blood. What had happened? Mary began to get frantic. Was she dying? What had gone wrong? The clinic staff reassured her, “There is nothing to be afraid of. After the procedure there is always a small amount of bloody discharge. Mary’s new friend drove her back to the house and as Mary got out of the car she looked at the sign again.
She heard two different voices. The first came from a memory she had completely forgotten about. It was the voice of Gabriel. “Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus.”
Next she heard a malevolent voice. “Mary, you have done well. You’ve followed the sign I placed before you. You have chosen wisely. The cackling continued as the voice said, “Turn around and see what you’ve done!” “Mary,” the voice triumphantly proclaimed, “You have made it possible….. We have now officially cancelled Christmas!”
Mary stood motionless staring at the sight before her. The snow globe was empty just like she was. The life that once was living inside her was gone. Their family was gone; Joseph and the miracle child were absent. The future of that possibility had been erased forever!
Suddenly she heard a banging sound that kept getting louder. Mary opened her eyes and she realized she was back in her bed in Nazareth. “Mary, get up and open the door!” a voice shouted. She rubbed her eyes and tried to focus on her surroundings. Could it be Joseph? Then the lingering reality of what she had done engulfed her. Those drops of blood which fell to the ground covered her with shame and guilt. The snow globe was empty!
The persistent banging on the door continued. “Mary, get up and open the door. Are you all right?” ‘Was that really Joseph?’ she asked herself. How could she know which experience was a dream and which event was the true reality? “Mary,” Joseph anxiously said, “I was so worried about you. I’m so sorry for walking away the other day. I just wasn’t sure what to do. What you told me about the angel Gabriel was so overwhelming.”
Then Joseph took Mary in his arms and spoke tenderly to her. “Mary, I had a dream last night. An angel of the Lord appeared to me and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. She will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Months later Mary, Joseph, and their unborn child travelled to Bethlehem. It was not an easy passage. Becuse of a required census they had to travel a distance of over seventy miles. Mary was exhausted when they finally reached the city and her labor pains had begun. She wrapped Jesus snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
That night, utterly exhausted from her arduous journey to Bethlehem and the process of giving birth, Mary dreamily recounted all of the events that had taken place since Gabriel had first greeted her that day in Nazareth. Despite all the terrible hardships, things had turned out well.
Totally drained, Mary fell into a deep sleep. Then she heard a familiar whisper; “Did you forget about me, Mary? Don’t think I’m going to stop now!” The vision of the blood on the ground and the empty snow globe returned to Mary’s consciousness in vivid detail. She could recall the smells, feelings and the emptiness she had felt after leaving the clinic. “Sooner or later, I will succeed in killing your child!” the evil voice hissed!
Thirty-three years later Mary stood at the foot of a Roman cross. A soldier came and pierced Jesus’ side with a spear. Blood and water came dripping down the wood and formed a crimson puddle at the foot of the cross.
Mary remembered her horrifying experience regarding Abortion Access for All. That was only one of many attempts to extinguish the life of Messiah. Just two years after Jesus was born, an angel warned Joseph in a dream to immediately leave Nazareth and flee to Egypt. The same wicked angel of light, which had whispered to Mary, stirred Herod to track down and attempt to murder their young child. During Jesus’ earthly ministry numerous attempts were made on his life, but as He used to tell his disciples, “I surrender my own life, and no one has the power to take my life from me. I have the authority to lay it down and the power to take it back again.”
Many years later when Jesus’ dead body was taken down from the cross, Mary felt a deep dark emptiness inside her. She once again remembered the empty snow globe. Waves of emptiness and despondency swept over her as she heard that wretched voice laugh, “Didn’t I tell you? Sooner or later, I will succeed in killing your child.”
On Easter morning, Mary woke up from her nightmare. It wasn’t Joseph knocking at the door, but Jesus was standing in front of the empty tomb!
The Gift of Christmas couldn’t be cancelled! In fact, this free gift extends to the future, and is always out of reach of our enemy – disguised as an angel of light.
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A Journey of Faith
A nine-year-old girl named Sophia is adopted from an orphanage in Niger, Africa by a couple from East Tennessee. Her favorite spot on their property is laying beneath an Autumn Blaze maple tree. Sophia has only known gnarly shrubs and brush in Niger. This tree becomes her special resting spot; a place where she can dream and find freedom from her difficult past. Sophia is beginning to feel at home with her new parents and is also starting to make new friends.
Yet everything changed one day when her new parents find her crying uncontrollably underneath the Autumn Blaze maple tree.
“Why are the leaves falling off? My favorite tree is dying!” Sophia has never experienced this kind of change of seasons and is sure her special tree is dead. The leaves are falling off and slowly falling to the ground. The branches on the tree are becoming empty.
As she looks at all the dead, fallen leaves on the ground, all the past memories of the hardships in her life in Niger begin washing over her like a tsunami. 
“There’s only two leaves left on my tree! I am so, so sad!”
How can her new parents show her that the tree is not dead, but dormant? With no frame of reference Sophia is angry and confused. She looks at her special tree and sees only bare, desolate branches.
Through the winter, Sophia learns about trees and how they actually lose their leaves during the winter to conserve energy. She learns what dormancy means, but has never experienced a tree coming back to life in the Springtime.
Sophia is learning about Faith. Through moments of doubt, discouragement, and hope she can have faith that Spring will eventually come. Even though she can’t yet see the results, she chooses to believe her father and mother’s words that the Autumn Blaze Maple Tree will come back to life and grow in beauty.
Sophia’s Faith Dream Faith means being sure of the things we hope for. And faith means knowing that something is real even if we do not see it. Hebrews 11: 1
Invitational Signs
What if I saw this sign, admired how it had weathered so well through the years, and then noted how long of a hike it would be to each of the destinations? Then I took a picture of the sign, got in my car, and drove home?
Doesn’t make a lot of sense, does it? These are all images from the James White Space Telescope. What if I looked at each of these images, exclaimed “WOW!” and then began checking my email?
What if I missed the sign? What if I didn’t explore the story behind the stars?
Food Poisoning
Food poisoning can cause stomach inflammation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Occasionally, it can lead to liver failure and even death.
“After I got food poisoning at a local restaurant I didn’t even want to drive by that place. I felt nauseated just thinking about that meal.”
This shirt could be offensive if you’ve had “religious food poisoning”
Does Jesus = hypocritical, intolerant, and judgmental people you’ve met? Does a bad church experience color your opinion of Jesus?
What is Jesus like? How did Jesus describe himself? “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4: 18 – 19
Are you willing to consider the possibility that all hamburgers are not made out of E. coli-contaminated meat?
- Jesus doesn’t want your money or good behavior
2. Jesus’ love far eclipses anything you could ever imagine.
3. Jesus isn’t shaking a fist at you, but is actually opening his arms.
Where to start ? (if you decide to “retry the hamburger”)
1. Read the Gospel of John.
2. Try looking at a modern Bible translation like The Message. (Jesus doesn’t = King James)
3. Imagine Jesus laughing:
Hard to imagine God laughing??? Leaving Our Shell
Coming out of our shell can be scary. It took this turtle over twenty minutes with no outside stimuli to finally leave his refuge. He must have felt safe enough. The conundrum: deep inside we want to be known, but are afraid if someone really knew us they would reject us, laugh, and ultimately leave. Do we dare to take a risk and “open up”? Who can we find to be safe enough with?
Closed Up 
Barely Open 
Thinking About It 
Probably Will Take A Chance 
Feelin’ Pretty Safe Which One Are You? What could move you from ‘closed up’ to ‘safe’?
One of the thoughts that first came to my mind was Jesus’ encouter with the woman at the well. She was an outcast and had to wait until everyone else was gone before she could draw water. Yet he didn’t see her that way at all. If you have time, watch this short clip from The Chosen: Watch how Jesus gently gives her the opportunity to come out of her shell!
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