Indescribable Gift

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.  -Is. 9:6

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! - 2 Cor. 9:15

The best Christmas gift ever given wasn't purchased at a store and wasn't wrapped with colorful paper and fancy bows.  It wasn't placed under an elaborately decorated tree, either.   No, the greatest gift ever given was carefully knit in the womb of a nervous teen mom, wrapped in strips of cloth and gently placed into an animal's feeding trough.  This gift, the newborn Messiah, was a gift for all seasons and a gift for all people; and he is a gift worthy of worship today and every day.

What humble beginnings for the King of Kings and Prince of Peace!  A baby, born to an adolescent mom and a first time dad, in a lowly stable away from home.  What grace that God would leave his throne and come to reside among us in a world filled with pain and corruption.  Moreover, that He would friend us, love us and rescue us from sin.  Such a gift to the world is so precious and so incomprehensible that even Paul struggles to find adequate words to describe it to the church of Corinth when he writes to them.  Instead, he uses the greek word ἀνεκδιηγήτῳ, which is best translated "unspeakable, wonderful beyond description, or that which is higher than the mind can conceive."  That this word is found no other place in the Bible seems fitting to me, as nothing is as incomprensible as Christ himself.

And yet, just as unfathomable as the incarnation is, so too is all that God has created, and all that He so graciously gives to those who follow Him.  While it's impossible to wrap my head around these realities, it's wonderful to try, and to simply sit in awe of Him and all that He is doing in my life and beyond, both seen and unseen.  My prayer this Christmas season is that we would not miss the opportunity to pause and reflect upon the humble beginnings of our Savior and King, and experience the unspeakable gift of his grace & love.  He is the source of every good thing, and His goodness is beyond all measure and all expression.  Let us take the time to ponder the wonder and majesty of His birth, and the best Christmas gift that has ever given.

Wishing you all the fullness of His love
and the joy and peace His presence brings,

Renee


Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.  - Phil 2:6-8


My Christmas playlist

Born That We May Have Life by Chris Tomlin

No reputation, no stately bearing
No palace bed for royalty
But a star in the Heavens, a sign full of wonder
Announcing the coming of the King of kings

A throne in a manger, the cross in a cradle
The hidden revealing this glorious plan
Of a Child who would suffer, a Child who would conquer
The sin of every woman, the sin of every man

Rejoice, o world, your Savior has come
Through the love of a virgin's womb
Son of God, Son of man, born that we may have life
You were born that we may have life

Learning to Trust the Potter

"But now, O LORD, You are our Father. We are the clay, and You, our potter. All of us are the work of Your hand." Isaiah 64:8

“For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Eph 2:10

We are His. His creation. His children. His church. His joy. His friends. His projects.

Yes, His projects. One of the most significant spiritual discoveries I’ve made in the last few years is that my life is not my project. While this first came as somewhat disappointing news to me, the more I am coming to understand and accept this reality, the more of a relief it is to me. Because while I'm fumbling around in God's grace, learning to hear and follow the voice of my Shepherd, there is an omnipotent, omniscient, and perfect Father working His will in my life and in the world around me. A Father that is more concerned that I reach my full potential than even I am. What could be more encouraging than that?

Acknowledging that God--and not Renee--is the one ultimately in charge of my growth and development has tremendous benefits. It is freeing me from many things, including the need to compare, to compete, to rush, or to take short cuts. It's also helping me break free from an obsession with to-do lists and planning for the future, and from the need to be in control of all situations. Without these preoccupations I can more easily accept the current pace that God is working at in my life, and relax more fully into the moment I'm in. My concern for the amount of time it will take me to reach desired outcomes—whether spiritual, occupational, financial, or relational—is diminished, and I can simply enjoy the process and the journey I'm on with Him.

A corollary to the discovery that my life is not my project is that others' lives are not my project. At times, this has been just as difficult for me to accept, particularly as a parent. More often than I would care to admit, my actions and my anxieties demonstrate that I do not yet fully trust God to do the work of developing others in my life, including my son. In a moment of panic I sometimes jump right in to the middle of God's workplace, as if spiritual formation is my work to do, not His. How backward and prideful is that?

When I'm anxious about another’s problems, behavior, or pace of spiritual growth I’m not resting in the Lord. Trusting God results in peace, not tension and exhaustion. When I’m frustrated by a friend that can’t seem to break free from shame or move beyond a sin struggle, or when I'm stressed by the fact that my son doesn’t share my desire to read the Bible or to be an A student, I’m failing to acknowledge that God is the one in control of their journey, not me.  As I'm learning to trust the Lord more fully, I'm more readily laying these burdens down at His feet, knowing that His concern for the growth and well-being of my friends & family far exceeds my own. There is a method to what He is doing and His timing is always perfect.  Sometimes the best thing that I can do is simply get out of His way.

The more I turn toward Christ, the less preoccupied I am by others’ struggles & sins (and even by trying to problem-solve my own). I can come alongside my son and point him to God without magnifying his failures or taking them personally. I can stop forcing teaching moments when they are not there, stop comparing his behavior to other kids, and stop trying to control his every thought, desire, & action. Rather than focusing on getting the right behavior from him, I can ask God to show me how to nourish, teach, and encourage my son--how to come alongside Him and lovingly shepherd his heart. And I can do all of this with joy, gratitude, and even rest, knowing that just as with me, God is working in him to fulfill His good purpose. (Phil. 2:13) 

Advent Conspiracy [AC]

Worship fully.  Spend less.  Give more.  Love all.

Conspire to change the world this Christmas.

www.adventconspiracy.org

Click here to enter the story.

www.reneeandtristan.com/AC.html

on community...

"When I came into the silent assemblies of God's people, I felt a secret power among them, which touched my heart. And as I gave way to it, I found the evil in me awakening, and the good lifted up. Thus it was that I was knit into them and united with them. And I hungered more and more for the increase of this power and life until I could feel myself perfectly redeemed."

Robert Barclay

"While experiences of meditation often come to the individual, they can also be experienced in communal worship. The power of Christ in a gathered community can be an awesome thing. A quickening Presence somehow breaks down the isolation of our individual lives and unites us together in ways we could never imagine nor create on our own."

Richard Foster, Sanctuary of the Soul

"Christian community is a gift that God gives, not something human effort can produce. (It is) not based on need, but on the joy of sharing relationship with fellow-travelers. The life of Jesus flows from the individual into the body, not from the body to the individual and whenever we try to get from the body what we’re not finding in Jesus, we are making an idol of it."

Wayne Jacobsen

Spiritual Heights and Ordinary Nights

In between the heights are ordinary nights
of traveling together as one.
Seek the Light, not the heights, and find joy in the life
of a body united in One.

In fellowship together, just as in worship or prayer, we can be tempted to come together seeking the next spiritual high.  But when our hope is to match or surpass the last-best-spiritual-moment we had with each other, our hope is in the wrong thing.  When our motivation is a feeling and not a person, not only is it likely to be met with disappointment, but it is also sinful.  Jesus was clear to point out that a desire for anything else above a desire for God alone is idolatry. And this includes worship & knowledge.  So, although we are sometimes elevated to new and exciting spiritual heights when we come together in worship, we must never forget that isn't the goal.  The goal is always Christ.

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. --Jer. 29:13 (see also Duet 4:29, 1 Chron 22:19, 28:9, Matt 7:7)
Two nights ago our church family gathered in my home as we often do on Friday nights. The 15-or-so of us there crammed in my tiny kitchen to prepare and share a meal together (breakfast for dinner...my favorite!). We then moved outdoors where we enjoyed a cool breeze and a delightful time catching up. Ultimately we settled in the garage where we spent the rest of the evening worshiping together through songs, poems, and prayers. In that shared space & time, we encountered the living God.

Well after midnight when cleanup was done and my friends had all left, I retreated to my favorite living room chair to ponder the evening and to give God thanks for it. As I sat and reflected on the time we had shared I realized that, in many ways, it had been a rather "ordinary" time together. And yet, my heart was overflowing with joy.

I wondered if I may have missed something, so I retraced the evening in my head. Nope. No amazing moments in worship tonight...at least not for me. None in testimony or in ministry to one another, either. None, that is, that we would likely all remember and talk about in months to come (and we have shared many of these in our 2 years together as a simple church). And yet, the Spirit's presence was never in question. I could feel it there with us: uniting us, uplifting us, leading us--as we laughed, cooked, hugged, shared, and laid quietly in the dim garage soaking in word & song.

So I asked God, "Why such joy tonight?"
He responded by reminding me that families are woven together as much by the ordinary moments they share as by the much-less-frequent extraordinary ones. In all of these, if God is present, so is joy. Just as our tri-une God enjoys fellowship with the other members of the trinity, we also experience the fullness of Christ in relationship to one another. As John Ortberg wrote in The Me I Want to Be, "Part of what it means to be made in God's image is our capacity for connectedness... we are rooted and our souls are nourished in the love of God and other people." Because of our design, therefore, even the most ordinary of times together have potential within them to connect us, and to fill us with joy.

Grateful for the answer, I sat back in my favorite chair and penned the poem above; then I continued to give God thanks in prayer--for Spirit-filled heights and "ordinary" nights, and for a family so richly blessed.

"Mind that which is eternal, which gathers your heart together up to the Lord, and lets you see that ye are written on one another's heart." - George Fox
"In life, there are no ordinary moments. Most of us never really recognize the most significant moments of our lives when they're happening." -Kathleen Magee

Why is confession so difficult?

"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." --James 5:16

Why is confession so difficult? Richard Foster shares his thoughts in Celebration of Discipline:

"Confession is so difficult a discipline for us partly because we view the believing community as a fellowship of saints before we see it as a fellowship of sinners. We come to feel that everyone else has advanced so far into holiness that we are isolated and alone in our sin. We could not bear to reveal our failures and shortcomings to others. We imagine that we are the only ones who have not stepped onto the high road to heaven. . . But if we know that the people of God are first a fellowship of sinners we are freed to hear the unconditional call of God’s love and to confess our need openly before our brothers and sisters. We know that we are not alone in our sin. The fear and pride which cling to us like barnacles cling to others also. In acts of mutual confession we release the power that heals. Our humanity is no longer denied but transformed."

I'm confessing & releasing the power... one person at a time, one day at a time. I'll be back tonight with the story. Please pray.

Nouwen on Hiddenness

excerpts from "Bread for the Journey" by Henri Nouwen

The Hidden Life of Jesus

The largest part of Jesus' life was hidden. Jesus lived with his parents in Nazareth, "under their authority" (Luke 2:51), and there "increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and with people" (Luke 2:52). When we think about Jesus we mostly think about his words and miracles, his passion, death, and resurrection, but we should never forget that before all of that Jesus lived a simple, hidden life in a small town, far away from all the great people, great cities, and great events. Jesus' hidden life is very important for our own spiritual journeys. If we want to follow Jesus by words and deeds in the service of his Kingdom, we must first of all strive to follow Jesus in his simple, unspectacular, and very ordinary hidden life.

Hiddenness, a Place of Intimacy

Hiddenness is an essential quality of the spiritual life. Solitude, silence, quiet, ordinary tasks, being with people without great agendas, sleeping, eating, working, playing Ö all of that without being different from others, that is the life that Jesus lived and the life he asks us to live. It is in hiddenness that we, like Jesus, can increase "in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and with people" (Luke 2:51). It is in hiddenness that we can find a true intimacy with God and a true love for people. Even during his active ministry, Jesus continued to return to hidden places to be with God alone. If we don't have a hidden life with God, our public life for God cannot bear fruit.

Hiddenness, a Place of Purification

One of the reasons that hiddenness is such an important aspect of the spiritual life is that it keeps us focused on God. In hiddenness we do not receive human acclamation, admiration, support, or encouragement. In hiddenness we have to go to God with our sorrows and joys and trust that God will give us what we most need.

In our society we are inclined to avoid hiddenness. We want to be seen and acknowledged. We want to be useful to others and influence the course of events. But as we become visible and popular, we quickly grow dependent on people and their responses and easily lose touch with God, the true source of our being. Hiddenness is the place of purification. In hiddenness we find our true selves.

Divine Nobodies

"Sometimes it’s not the professor or preacher leading you to divine truth but the commonplace people God sticks right in front of your face." -Jim Palmer, Divine NobodiesI love books, and I love sharing them--especially books about freedom. Whether it's freedom "FROM" (things like worry, addiction, shame, or religion) or freedom "TO" (to live, to love, to learn, to make mistakes--just to name a few), I love stories about breaking free!

The next book I'll be buying in bulk and sharing widely with friends is Divine Nobodies by Jim Palmer. I tracked it down after listening to a God Journey podcast from early last year where Wayne & Brad have a conversation with Jim about "Living Beyond the System ". It's one of best reads I've had in a long, long time. And it's all about living free.

You can learn more about Jim's story on the podcast, on his website, or in the book itself. But some of the freedoms that come out in the wonderful stories contained in this book include:

Freedom FROM...religion & striving, "the need to do something spectacular for God."; from dependency on church services, programs, & clergy; from endless rules and dutiful sacrifices, and the temptation to label others on their outside appearance alone; freedom from the need to control.

Freedom TO...stop trying to earn God's love and simply begin to receive it. To live in the Spirit and "be salt and light right where you are". To admit to depression, to fear, to dependency on the Bible over it's author. To step outside the walls of the church and in to a Waffle House in order to be "the case for Christ a cynical waitress most needs". To find your heart. To "come alongside others to share their burdens without trying to rescue them". To start over. To love. To be a Divine Nobody.

This book is a delightful read: honest and humble; convicting, touching to the point of tears and very entertaining. The only time I put it down after starting it was to sleep, and I was ready to read it again even before I finished. It's that good. Let me know if you don't agree.

Seasons of Mercy, part 1: WINTER

“Thou hast made summer and winter.” ~ Psalm 74:17

When the soul experiences winter it is a quite uncomfortable season. A "winter" that marked a turning point in my spiritual journey occured in mid 2007. I have vivid memories of an afternoon in May when I sat alone in my walk-in bedroom closet with tears of pain and discontent streaming down my face. Something (I didn't know what) was keeping me at arms length from God, or at least from the intimate relationship with Him that I once had and longed to reclaim. I was restless, and desperate for peace; hungry, and no longer willing to settle for what the world was offering me to eat. I wanted to sit at my Father's banqueting table and feast.

The words I cried out from the closet that day sounded a lot like those penned by David in Psalm 51 when he wrote "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me...Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."

I spent the first week of Lent this year thinking back on this wintry season and remembering the mercies God showed me through the difficult year that followed. One such mercy came in the form of His loving embrace. As I opened my life and my heart to God in a way I had never before done, He held me tightly in His arms. I knew He was after something I hadn't yet confessed and repented from--but what? was it self-indulgence? impurity? idolatry? or simply a lukewarm faith? I asked Him to search my heart fully and reveal to me the overt sins or areas of spirtual compromise in my life. As He cast a light on the darkest corners of my life, He did so with great compassion and lovingkindness, leaving me to ask myself: "How can I sit in the presence of such a gentle and holy King, and want anything other than to please and serve Him with my entire being?" The answer was: I couldn't. So for the first time in my life I promised Him full surrender. I would exchange the pleasure of the sins He would reveal, for the hope of peace. Real peace.

This past week as I was jogging in California and reflecting on this closet encounter with God, I heard a song that reminded me of how I felt in that season. The words belong to Jason Gray, but they could have easily been mine at that time in my life. Read on, or better yet, click here and sit back and listen to the song. Can you relate to such a season?

I’m tired of the sound of my own voice
And I’m weary of adding to the noise
And I’m fearful of missing the point of it all
I remember the way it used to be

The way this love felt like the first day of spring
And I want that back more than anything in the world
It’s as cold as winter in my veins
But I long to feel the summer rain
Can you take me back to where it all began?

Jesus I come, come to you again
Like it was the first time
I came to you for new life
I need you now, as much as I did then
I need a new beginning, Jesus I am coming
For the first time again.

Take me deep inside the grace that forgets
Instead of down the well worn path of my regrets
I’m older than I’ve ever been
Can you take me back and make me new again?
Cause I need you now, as much as I did then.

I am grateful today for God's mercies--in every season--and for the peace I received in exchange for surrender. The winter passed and the joy of my salvation was indeed restored. My heart is full, once again. I've got a new song to sing. Alleluia!

If winter is the season that you find yourself in now, I pray you will cling to the hope of the cross this Easter season. If you are in a trial or time of testing, may additional encouragement come to you through the words of Charles Spurgeon, who wrote this about WINTER:

“and if it be upon thee just now it will be very painful to thee: but there is this comfort, namely, that the Lord makes it [winter]. He sends the sharp blasts of adversity to nip the buds of expectation: He scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes over the once verdant meadows of our joy: He casteth forth His ice like morsels freezing the streams of our delight. He does it all, He is the great Winter King, and rules in the realms of frost, and therefore thou canst not murmur. Losses, crosses, heaviness, sickness, poverty, and a thousand other ills, are of the Lord’s sending, and come to us with wise design. Frosts kill noxious insects, and put a bound to raging diseases; they break up the clods, and sweeten the soul. O that such good results would always follow our winters of affliction!

How we prize the fire just now! How pleasant is its cheerful glow! Let us in the same manner prize our Lord, who is the constant source of warmth and comfort in every time of trouble. Let us draw nigh to Him, and in Him find joy and peace in believing. Let us wrap ourselves in the warm garments of His promises, and go forth to labors which befit the season, for it were ill to be as the sluggard who will not plow by reason of the cold; for he shall beg in summer and have nothing.”

40 days & 40 years: Seasons of Mercy

"Arise my love, my lovely one, come. See! The winter is past and the rains are gone! Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing is come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms it's early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come my darling; my beautiful one, come with me." -- Song of Solomon 2

Lent is here, and springtime is just weeks away. As the world emerges from the cold of winter, new signs of life begin to appear. In Austin, purple buds are blooming on the Mountain Laurels lining Town Lake, and their fragrance fills the air. Runners passing by breathe in the pleasing aroma, just as enthusiastically as they partake of the colorful sights and familar sounds of spring. Our eyes and ears are eager to receive what the new season will bring!

The season of Lent reflects this spirit of hope and prepares us for the only hope worth dying for. Rooted in His love & mercy, it is a time of reflection & repentence, and an opportunity to experience the true freedom of living in and for Christ. As in all seasons, we can choose in Lent to surrender the habits & strongholds that compete with Him in our lives, and embrace a life of joyful holiness.

The next 40 days lead to Easter and to the cross, where we share in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The 40 day journey this year has additional significance to me as it leads to the week of my 40th birthday! In celebration of both, I am taking time over Lent to reflect on the various seasons of my life and the many mercies God has shown me over the past 40 years. They have been new every morning! GREAT is His faithfulness!

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. - Lam 3:21-26