The Peace of Christmas

I'm so thankful for the message of Christmas! Jesus came to give us life more abundantly! He is the Way, Truth and Life. No man comes to God except through Him. This year has been very hard at times for me, working through some very difficult emotional battles and struggles. Just want to say as Christmas time is here again, that the struggles and battles have lessened and that joy and peace have been stealing themselves back into my soul. Such a wonderful feeling. Got a long ways to go, but glad I'm on my way! If I have Jesus, I have everything. If I have Jesus, all WILL be well. Merry Christmas to all!
An appropriate carol for this post. "Still, Still, Still" A beautiful Austrian carol presented by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir...


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Christmas Thoughts

Christmas thoughts. I am finding joy in the fact that Jesus was the Word made flesh. He laid aside His glory, left heaven to dwell among us earthlings. John 1:14 says "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." One of my favorite carols is "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing." "It first appeared in 1739 in the collection Hymns and Sacred Poems, having been written by Charles Wesley." (wikipedia) In this stanza, we see the Gospel, clearly laid out. "Christ, by highest heaven adored
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb:
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel" So thankful that Jesus came. He came so we could see what God is like. He came to walk beside us. He came to save us.  
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God in Flesh Appearing

I love Christmas! I love the music, the decorations, the parties, church services, the concerts, the family times, etc. It is also my privilege each December to play and sing LOTS of Christmas music, sacred and secular as I travel around to play for the Greatest Generation. One of my many favorites is "O Come All Ye Faithful." I especially like the words of verse three..."Yea, Lord we great Thee, born this happy morning. Jesus, to Thee be all glory given. Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.." I was overcome yesterday when singing this song at one of my gigs. Think about it. Christianity is the ONLY "religion" whose God became a man. He became a man out of love. He WANTS us to be saved. As it states in Colossians 1:15-18, if we see Jesus, we will know what God is like. "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." That is why He came. So, we could see God, the Father. So, we could be saved. I LOVE Christmas! Here is one of the most beautiful versions of this glorious carol by Josh Groban.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhFTXYB69pw

Why Should Children Study Music?

Created within us is the desire to enjoy music and find beauty in listening to it as well as in playing an instrument or singing.  Much joy can be felt when one hears the “Hallelujah Chorus” or when one masters a piece on the piano. 

Practice of the same piece of music repeatedly, and the feeling of accomplishment when it’s mastered, brings a child great joy and satisfaction after the hard task of practice.  Self-esteem can be helped when the child sees that he has played a beautiful piece of music and receives compliments from parents and friends. 

Music helps the brain!!!!  For example, the visual cortex and the occipital lobe are used when the student reads music on two different lines simultaneously.  The primary motor cortex, the Prefontal cortex and the cerebellum all are used when all ten fingers get involved!!!!!  Think of the coordination which is required to do that, especially when all ten fingers are on different keys!  (http://www.encoremusiclessons.com/lessons/piano#infographic_piano_lessons_are_good_for_you_and_your_brain)

Can the study of music help your child learn other things?  It appears that it does help!  A study done by a Canadian research group and published on September 20, 2006, “showed that the children who received music instruction excelled above their peers in memory skills as well as ‘non-musical’ abilities such as literacy, mathematics and even IQ.”  (http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Can_Music_Help_Learn/)

Not all children will excel at sports or academics.  But, many children, can, with practice and proper teaching, master an instrument and find a niche to fit in.  The feeling of playing an instrument with a group of other children in band or orchestra, or accompanying someone on the piano, brings a sense of camaraderie.  While very few will advance to play sports in college, much less professionally, music will stay with the child for life.  As an LPN and pianist, I have watched the effects of music on the elderly.  It may cause them to dance, clap or sing.  Give your child a gift which can last a lifetime-the gift of music! 

No Turning Back!

The Apostle Paul had some wise words for those who would follow Christ when he wrote about forgetting what was behind and reaching towards what was ahead-the prize!  The prize being the upward call of Christ to live for HIM and not for this world.  In Colossians 3, Paul again wrote that we should live as dead to the world and alive to heavenly values as we are hidden "with Christ in God."  As we travel this life road towards the eternal, we will come to various crossroads in our lives.  There will be a decision that must be made.  Which way?  Will I choose the path of least resistance and give in to my flesh? Or, will I choose the path, which in the here and now, feels hard and lonely.  Any who would follow Christ know, He will go to great lengths to get us to make the correct choice.  It may take some time.  There is often a struggle.  The struggle to "let go" and step into the unknown.  At that point, we must remember that what is unknown to us, is completely and totally known by Him!  With this confidence, we can choose the path less traveled.  At first, it will seem lonely.  Tears may fall.  But, eventually, the sweetness and fullness of the presence of Christ will make the trees and grass seem greener and more beautiful.  The heavy load of the flesh will be relieved, and the sunshine of the beauty and love of Christ will be felt.  
There will come a point, when to go back is completely UNDESIRABLE!  To taste and see that the Lord is good, and then to remember what we left, will cause us to rise up and bless His name.  Then, we can look back and be reminded.  God HAS been faithful  He WILL be faithful.  He will not, and cannot fail.  He IS "Ever Faithful."

Seeking Joy

C.S. Lewis and Pastor John Piper have both influenced me in this matter of joy.  C.S. Lewis titled his autobiography, "Surprised by Joy."  While I found it a difficult book to read, he writes about how he didn't want to become a Christian, but over time, his resistance melted like a snow man and the joy of Christ came in!  Pastor Piper has written and spoken extensively on the subject, and has emphasized how God has commanded us to find joy in Himself.  
In Deuteronomy 28:47-48, we see how seriously God takes this matter.   "Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you."
Is God and egomaniac?  No.  I don't believe so.  He IS the Creator of all things, and knows that there is no way we can fully know joy apart from Him.  He wants us to seek joy for our benefit!  We can never fully know joy in anything else.  Psalms 16:11 says it beautifully,  "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
We can be sure of this for one who would follow Christ...He will relentlessly pursue us to relinquish every last thing big or small which would hinder or steal our joy in Him alone. He will work overtime to help us see that there is no way we will know real joy apart from Him. He made us to know fullness of joy in Him, nothing or no one else.

Here, Then Gone...

To have something...then you don't...it felt so nice...then it was gone...the feeling of being cast aside like a side dish that no one ordered...or the feeling of being "shut out."  Fighting the fear...fear that I will never have this again...fear that someone else has taken or will take my place.  The empty, lonely feeling.  The feeling of struggling just to get out of bed in the morning or to complete simple tasks that once were easier to do.  Now, they are a struggle.  The feeling of just wanting to go to bed and sleep...bury myself in something else.  
In the midst of all of this, while waking up, hearing the words of the prophet Isaiah in my mind..."I will make the darkness light before you...the crooked places will be made straight, and the rough places plain.  These things I will do for you."  Hope.  Sunlight will come again.  This sorrow will pass.  Oh, if only it would pass today.  

It HURTS!!!!!!!

Pain...it HURTS!  So bad.  You feel your soul is ripping out.  Over and over and over again.  You start to feel better, then the pain comes again...soul squeezing...tears falling...I recently cried so much, my face was raw.  Literally raw.  I lived for the past thirteen months in a delusional state.  I wanted something badly.  I saw it.  But, it wasn't mine to be had.  I thought I could have it, sortav and be happy.  But, I could not.  It was a delusion.  That delusion could have kept me from the real thing, but I was stuck in it!  Silly, yes, very silly.  But, very real.  
The only way to get past it, is the TRUTH.  The scripture tells us that "the truth will set you free."  Scripture tells me that God will "supply all of my needs according to His riches in glory."  "But, He giveth more grace."  I am "complete in Him."  Psalm 16 talks so much about how I am secure in Christ and in His presence is FULLNESS of joy.  Colossians 3 tells me that I have been risen with Christ...now seek what is above where He is sitting on the throne.  So many things I know which are TRUE!  So much better than delusions.
 

The Most Important Thing...

As a single woman, I have always wanted to be married since being a
teenager at least.  My dream was to have five children, home school
them, and live a dream.  None of that has happened.  I recently marked
47 years on this earth.  A marriage COULD still happen, but not terribly
likely.  When I was in my late thirties, I plowed this ground and
reached a place of some sort of surrender and contentment.  Alas, I have
found this to be a battle which has to be fought repeatedly.  

The desire for marriage, companionship with a man and a life together, ARE
all good desires.  God makes that clear in the book of Genesis when He
said, "it is not good for a man to be alone."  God made us as women, to
seek that bond and to desire to attach ourselves to a man in a life long
relationship.  When that doesn't happen, it IS suffering.  It leaves
emptiness and loneliness.  

But,today, God showed me something.  As I listened to a young man who had
struggled with sexual sin, this thought began to form in my mind.  It's
not really important if I get married.  But, it DOES matter if I follow
Jesus and know Him.  THAT is the most important thing I need to do in
this life.  In Jesus, is all my heart ultimately longs for.  It's all IN
Him, THROUGH Him, and BECAUSE of Him.   He is the author of all truth,
beauty, goodness, love, joy and peace.  If marriage is in His plans for
my life, I CAN, with His help, experience that.  If not, may I be
reminded that in the next life, there will be no marriage, or need for
such.  For we will be a part of that great bride of Christ forever.  All
our longings will be satisfied fully in Him forever!  All tears will be
gone.

Witnessing...moments of being...

In the book, Spiritual Friendship by Wesley Hill, he quotes from a friend of his, from his heart, about loneliness...have you ever felt this way? "Call it weakness, I just need to be needed, and not needed by a friend who closes the distance with a phone call, drive or flight. I need to be needed by a companion who is there when I return from work, there when I walk in the park, there when I prepare a meal for dinner, there when I read from a book out loud, there when I go to bed, there when I wake up,there when I cry or laugh, there when I am sick.  In short, I desire a covenentnal relationship where my helper and I witness each other's 'moments of being' (Virginia Woolf's lovely expression), otherwise I dread the thought of having those moments forever unwitnessed.  Sure, God witnesses my moments of being, but this is not enough.  I need the face of God in a watchful and loving human face."  (pp. 97-98 Wesley Hill in Spiritual Friendship)  
How many times have I been somewhere, doing something, and not another soul on the earth whom I personally was acquainted with, had any knowledge of what I was doing?  I have driven thousands of miles on road trips, alone.  On one hand, I enjoy the freedom to go where I want and when, but how sweet it would be to share that with someone.  How many times have I been to an event, experienced joy and beauty in that event, and then, home alone with no one to relive it.  No one to talk about it.  No one to remember that occasion with.  Yes, God is there.  He sees.  He cares.  But, yes, He made us for relationship, to experience joy and beauty in relationships.  So, it is suffering.  Suffering that we must endure, always with the help of Jesus, as we live in a world cursed by sin.  Knowing, always, He helps us bear that load, and reminds us that, someday, all tears will be wiped away.  All sorrow and suffering gone forever.  We will be with Him.  Complete in Him.  Known as we are known.  Joy will be complete. 

Loneliness...

Yes, loneliness...something I've been facing of late...again...at times it is raw...painful...tears...I can be okay when I'm with people...but, at some point, I have to come home.  Home, where no one is.  It's dark, and lonely.  There is no one to talk to.  No one to cook with.  No one to eat dinner with.  No one to go to sleep near.  No one to wake up next to.  No one to plan your day with.  No one to share your dreams and thoughts.  No one to witness your life, see your struggles and love you anyway.  
For some, like me, this is your adult life.  You journey alone.  You wonder if this is all that there will ever be.  It may be.  My hope, though, is in that Jesus is God and Lord of all.  He, alone, knows my past, present and future.  I have to trust Him.  I have to believe that He knows who and where I am. He will not leave or forget me.  He is always there.  He holds my future in the palm of His hand and He is trustworthy.  Oh, for faith that will grow and blossom.
 

"I am...."

In the book of John, Jesus made seven "I am" statements.  He makes it clear that HE, and HE alone, is the source of life and salvation.  In John 6:35, He states that "I am the Bread of Life...".  In John 8:12, He states that "I am the Light of the world...".  John 10:9, "I am the door...", John 10:11, I am the Good Shepherd...", John 11:25, "I am the Resurrection and the Life...", John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father, except through me."   And in John 15:5, Jesus declared, "I am the vine...".  
These statements are not only beautiful, but TRUE.  Not all religious systems are equal.  Any "religion" which denies that Jesus is not God, and not the way TO God, is false.  "There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (NLT)  Jesus is the only way.  To deny Him, is to deny life itself.  

Jesus Weeps...

One day, Jesus spoke these words, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"  How Jesus longed to love His chosen people!  How He longed to gather them close to Him.  How He wanted them to receive Him as their Messiah.  No matter what Jesus said, they chose not to believe.  They would not.  
The picture presented here of Jesus is so beautiful.  Protective.  Passionate.  Loving.  
It struck me.  That is what I've done to Jesus.  Over and over, He has called to me.  Called me to come to Him.  Come to Him and lay down my burdens, cares, sins and worries.  Called me to lay down ALL that separates me from Him.  
But, I'm afraid!  I'm afraid of losing something that I THINK I want or need.  He sees the whole picture, from start to finish. He created me.  He made me.  He knows every hair on my head.  He wants ONLY good for me.  He wants ONLY the very best.  He knows that when He is glorified, and I'm resting in Him, I can experience the "fullness of joy" that He has promised.  (Psalms 16:11)