Each Christmas I look forward to receiving Christmas cards from friends and family that live in other cities and across the states. It is so fun to me to read their comments and see how they are doing. Have they changed jobs or have new grandchildren? Have they moved or started new ministrys? It really is a lost art to actually sit down and write someone a letter or send an actual card throught the mail. My all time favorite is when someone writes a "newsletter" and really updates what has been going on in their family.
This year as I opened the Christmas cards I kept being disappointed by just signatures. People are just too busy.
Gone are the years that I sent out hundreds of Christmas cards to friends, family and everyone my husband ever worked with. One year we sent over 300 Christmas cards out. Last year I sent out less than 50 cards and this year I sent less than 30.
But in each card I sent this year, I prayed and asked God what I should write and every card included a short note to the recipient.
I have realized that this is one of the first gifts that God gave me and I frequently sent out cards and notes of encouragement as a new Christian. I desire to revive this lost art and use my gifts of encouragement and exhortation to bless others. Look for a note of encouragement coming your way soon.
Merry Christmas, may you and your family be blessed like crazy and may you be encouraged by someones thoughtful note.
Yesterday with some anxiety and uncertainty I began my first blog. Last night as I laid in bed I had ideas floating around in my mind; like visions of sugarplums. I now have so many things to write about I am blown away. So I am going to start with what is foremost on my mind.
Jeremiah the Prophet and Chapter One of Jeremiah.
I have been studying this Chapter for the women's bible study I am involved with and as I have read and re-read this Chapter I am finding it so exciting. I really love the Old Testament and this book of the Bible is filled with crazy things that God asked Jeremiah to do and imagery that is off the wall. A branch of an almond tree and a boiling pot tilting to the North are two of the mystery's spoken about in Jeremiah Chapter 1.
What I am noticing is that during this time in history, Jeremiah was part of a nation that was headed for destruction. The times were chaotic in the political arena, morality was taking a steep downward turn and spirituality was becoming a smorgasbord of false gods. Hmmmmmm....sound familiar?
Jeremiah prophesied for 40 years, telling the nation to turn from their sins and turn back to the one true God. He was faithful in the face of the moral decline and spiritual confusion. God encouraged Jeremiah telling him that he was created with a specific appointment on his life and that he has been known by God even before he was born.
Jeremiah thinks that he is not well spoken and that he is too young for this appointment but God tells Jeremiah to not be afraid; because God will be with him and God will rescue him. God will rescue him. Did you catch that?? God isn't saying that he will spare Jeremiah pain in this process and he is not saying that Jeremiah will be unscathed.
This can be scary at times. God allows us to experience hurt , pain, grief, loss and a myriad of other feelings and circumstance. BUT He will be with us during these times; and when the time is right, God will rescue us. The way that I think of it is that ,"This ____________ (fill in the blank: trial, grief, pain, sin etc.) will not last forever. God will eventually rescue me when His good and glorious Will has been completed in my life. God's timing is perfect. God promised to rescue Jeremiah from trouble but not keep him from trouble.
You know what else? Jeremiah was faithful and humble to God's leading. Jeremiah prophesied for 40 years but he never saw his people heed his words and turn from their sins. Wow...faith even when he did not see immediate results. I really need to learn that and mediate on faithfulness because I want to see fruit when I am working hard for His Kingdom and I do get discouraged when I don't see the fruit...but that does not mean I am out of God's will, it just means things happen in God's timing and not in mine.
Jeremiah is a lot more than just Jeremiah 29:11
All this just from Chapter 1 of Jeremiah; can't wait to see how much more the Lord will share with me.
Blogging...
loving it...
I may have just created a monster... Pastor Debbie
I have wanted to blog for a while now but have avoided it thinking, "What do I have to say, that anyone would want to read?" Well, I am jumping in with both feet and will see how that question gets answered. Maybe nobody will ever read this except me. That's okay. Maybe many people will join me here and thoughts will flow. That's even better.
Who am I? I am a wife of 27 years, a mother to two grow sons, a daughter to a breast cancer survivor, a sister to a breast cancer survivor, a mutant with BRCA2, a nonprofit executive director, a Pastor, a counselor, a friend, a sinner and a believer in Jesus Christ.
I have faced trials in my life that some of you may relate to.
My mother and sister have both battled breast cancer and survived!
I discovered through genetic counseling that I am a BRCA2 mutant, which means I tested positive for the breast cancer gene. I choose to be proactive and had a bilateral mastectomy with DIEP reconstruction. My pathology from that surgery showed I had abnormal cells in both breasts and it would have been just a matter of time before I would have had breast cancer.
I have had to leave a church because of legalism and sin that went unrepented; in the leadership. It was devastating to my family but my faith grew stronger in the process.
I have found an awesome church with a Pastor who is a true Shepherd for his flock and have been part of the congregation for 11 years.
I have dealt with suicides and clinical depression in my families history. I have been diagnosed with clinical depression and have been on antidepressants which help me to lead a productive life.
These are just a few of the trials I have dealt with in my 49 years of life and I have found hope and peace in my relationship with Jesus Christ. I refused to "eat the ashes" that the enemy wants to serve me and I prefer to focus on the banquet that Jesus is preparing for me.
Through all the trials of life that have come and will come, I hold on to Jesus.
Pastor Debbie
