Peace on Earth

It's early in the morning. The lights are glowing on the tree and on the fireplace mantle, a warm and tender reminder of Christmases past. It's quiet in the house now as my three not-so-small boys are still in their slumber. It's Christmas time, a time for joy and peace on earth. I'm attempting to capture the sugar plum fairies dancing around in my head...because something seems a little "off" this year.

Every year is a struggle to scrape and dig past the commercialism and consumerism that has become synonymous with the Christmas season. Somewhere between the green and red plastic trees and the "Santa, Baby" songs is a point. A very fine point that the vast majority misses. Every. Single. Year.

We tend to miss it because it is easy to miss. 

There is nothing in Scripture that commands we honor this Holy Night. There is no instruction to follow that even suggests it. A Christian will truly celebrate Christmas out of the overflow of the heart...out of the love that pours from a swell of the heart that was born in a stable 2,000 years ago. 

But somehow the truth of this story has been buried beneath a mountain of boxes covered in pretty paper and debt to the ceiling. Even Hallmark movies tell us we want Christmas to be about the heart and relationship, but we have to dig it out of the pile first.

This has been an ongoing issue for the believer in this country for decades. But recently, there has been another darker, more suffocating cloud hovering over this time of year. We seek joy and peace on earth, yet we are bombarded by the media of our day. We are immediately made aware of instances of adversity, hostility, lunacy, political failures, et cetera ad nauseam. Rarely do we see thrust before us for our viewing pleasure the soup kitchens serving Christmas dinner to the homeless, families by the hundreds supplying coats, boots, blankets, diapers, and toys for those who have nothing, or food pantries doling out canned goods to those fallen on hard times. Stories of prisoners kneeling by their bedside holding a Bible and a sliver of hope for redemption seldom make the cut for our news sources. These things happen all the time, but their stories are scarce compared to the shocking tales that "sell". We are inundated with the negative and anemic when it comes to anything positive.

There is a song that was released several years ago by Casting Crowns (one of my most favorite groups) and the song is entitled "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." It speaks to the dissonance we experience this time of year in a way that for years now has deeply stirred my heart. If we don't quiet our souls from the noise of our consumerism, we'll never hear the bells.

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
And mild and sweet, their songs repeat
Of peace on earth good will to men

And the bells are ringing (Peace on Earth)
Like a choir they're singing (Peace on Earth)
In my heart I hear them
Peace on earth, good will to men

The author is recounting the surface sights and sounds of the season. It looks good and sounds good - we enjoy the decorations and Christmas carols during the last weeks of the year (or most of us do). But in the next verse, we see his conflict - one that, if we will look introspectively, we can all identify with:

And in despair, I bowed my head
"There is no peace on earth," I said.
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men

But the bells are ringing (Peace on Earth)
Like a choir singing (Peace on Earth)
Does anybody hear them?
Peace on earth, good will to men

If anything, peace on earth is a treasured, but terribly deficient thing. A cursory glance at the Middle East (particularly in and around Israel) and north Africa, as well as cities like Paris, Chattanooga, Colorado Springs, and San Bernardino will bring home the point. A skim of any major news outlet's headlines will help to solidify the point: men bring almost anything but peace to earth.

Then rang the bells more loud and deep
God is not dead, nor doth He sleep
(Peace on Earth, peace on Earth)
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men

Peace on earth is not meant to be brought by mere men. We are incapable. Peace on earth and good will toward men...comes from above. Good will toward men is initiated by God in heaven and exemplified by a Baby born from heaven. Peace personified has walked on the earth, and it currently resides in the hearts of those who bend the knee and bow their hearts to the King of kings born humbly in a manger.

Then ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Peace on earth, good will to men

And the bells they're ringing (Peace on Earth)
Like a choir they're singing (Peace on Earth)
And with our hearts we'll hear them
Peace on earth, good will to men

The bells of Christmas are singing that Peace on earth has indeed come, and until He comes again, we'll hear it only in our hearts. But this also has the desired result for the individual who opens their heart to the song: good will toward his fellow men.

Do you hear the bells they're ringing? (Peace on Earth)
The life the angels singing (Peace on Earth)
Open up your heart and hear them (Peace on Earth)
Peace on earth, good will to men

Since You're Probably Cold Anyway

And since we're playing catch up, I'll start all the way back at the Fourth of July. Maybe the pictures will warm our frosty toes a bit.

We had a couple of families over for snacks and desserts in the afternoon. 

I'm going to say it looks like more desserts than snacks, 
but who's counting?

This was one of my favorite things I made for the day: 

Lady Liberty cupcakes. 
There is cupcake baked right into the ice cream cone!

I used sugar wafers cut diagonally and frosted to make the flames.

Some of the kids playing in the pool.

Parents doing what parents do best.

Brown Eyes warming his buns by the fire. 

Look at his face...goofball.

DH pulls out his big guns. Literally. The kids enjoyed watching him fire his "toys."

No Fourth of July is complete without the sparklers.

This is one of our guests...and can you believe it was his first time to hold a sparkler? He was pretty amazed. And a little nervous...but he got over it pretty quickly.

Up next: Lil'bit's Toy Story 6th Birthday party...replete with fun for all ages! (or at least for a 6 year old) Come back if you can stand all the rowdy tomfoolery! Can you handle it? We're a wild and crazy bunch.

What Would I Say

What I wish I could say to my daddy:

First of all, I've missed you. I've missed the advice you could give me about these boys. I've missed standing on my tip-toes, as an adult, to hug you and kiss your cheek. I've missed those puppy-dog eyes smiling back at me.

I've missed your bar-b-q. And the pride that you took in your techniques.

And I've even missed your quirks. I miss trying to control my laughter while watching you put a stamp on an envelope. I miss how you would get up out of your chair just to walk across the room and pick up the piece of lint on the floor. And just the other day, I smiled at your oldest grandson when he was putting the trash can liner in the trash can. He must have shaken the liner 20 times before he put it in there.

He's a lot like you; he likes things to be "just so." As they ought to be.

Notice the empty pockets after purchasing his new truck.

I've missed sharing our home school with you. I remember when I was first talking about doing it, I almost dreaded your response. You would think I was insane, completely fallen off the deep end. Much to my surprise, you wanted to see the catalog I was ordering curriculum from and you asked me a million questions about how it works, what we'll do, and what the benefits were. You were never condescending, just curious. You showed interest, and it fueled my passion for my kids' education like nothing else.

I wish you could see them now. I wish you could throw the ball in the back yard with them and ride the rides with them at Six Flags. If you were still here, you'd still be young enough! I try to tell them about you, so they remember your name. It's so hard when only one of the three has his own memories of you. The other two have so much to leave to imagination.

 Dad's last Christmas with us. 

Mini me was 4; Brown Eyes was 2 months old.

So many memories are flooding my mind. I remember the first Thanksgiving meal I cooked for our whole family. I was so nervous because I knew how partial you were to "how it had always been" and I wanted to make it right for you, as well as for my own husband, who had his own ideas. It was a big day for me and in the end all seemed satisfied; I was well pleased.

By the way, mom told me what you said about my "alternative" dressing. She said you really liked it, but you weren't going to tell me that. I guess you wanted me to sweat it out. And that's okay; I knew the truth.

One of my favorite memories is so simple, so elemental, yet it was so profound to me. You had suffered multiple strokes and couldn't talk, but you were still very alert. There were several people standing around your hospital bed, and I was settled somewhat at a distance, allowing everyone else to have their time with you. You turned your head to face me, and motioned with your hand for me to come to you. I thought you needed something, so I grabbed your hand and asked, "What do you need, dad?" You firmly grasped my hand, closed your eyes, and I knew you had what you needed. You were never the type to display much affection; the fact that you singled me out in a room full of people meant the world to me.

I remember giving you a haircut in the hospital, too. I was so nervous about that because of how particular you could be, but you couldn't have seemed more relaxed. I never would have believed at the time that it was going to be your last haircut. What a privilege that was for me.

After we had to let you go, I was so thankful to have that night of "Heaven's Gates" to cling to. I would be willing to bet that now, after seeing Christ face to face, you hold that memory dear to you too. I remember after the presentation, everyone in the cast was asked to come forward to the alter and pray with those who had responded to the call to salvation...and there were a great many. After I prayed with a few of the ladies up front, I remember walking toward the back and looking to where you and mom had been sitting. You were both gone.

I truly expected that because you were always the one to leave a place before the crowd did. "I want to get out of the parking lot!" You would say. So I just knew that you two had left once the invitation had begun. I was devastated, but I just couldn't give up the hope that you were still there somewhere.

People were everywhere. Every. Where. I peeked inside the counseling rooms to see if I could spot you or mom anywhere. Please God, let them still be here. At the exact moment that I peered around the corner, you stood up from talking with a counselor. I had never been so blissfully surprised in all my life! To think that you had actually walked forward, in the middle of that huge crowd, and told someone that you wanted to receive Christ for yourself was almost more than this little girl's heart could contain! It was the very thing I had hoped and prayed for...but could hardly believe!

It was only two short years before we lost you. Mom and I both agree we saw some major changes in your life after that night at our church. And I have to admit, sometimes I wonder why God didn't let you stay a little longer and develop that young faith that was born in you. But who am I to question the very One who created you? His wisdom supremely outweighs mine, and His jurisdiction reaches eminently further than mine. Just to say the very least.

What I can say is this: I am so thankful that I have the assurance that you truly trusted Christ that night, and I'm thankful for the hope that brings. I will see you again someday, and we'll have all the time we need to talk about all you've been seeing these last years.

Thank you, dad, for persevering beyond the difficulties of growing up, and for overcoming so much to provide a good childhood for me. I never felt neglected, undervalued, or unloved by you. I recognize that you loved me in the best way you knew how, and I love you for that. Don't worry about the times when you feel like you failed me, because I already know what that feels like; I've failed too. But our God redeemed it all and my eyes are wide open to this fact: you cherished your only daughter.

And I love you too. Happy Father's Day, Daddy.

 Me, Daddy, and Momma

This is the Day

"This is the Day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24


This is one of the most well-known verses from the Psalms. Have you ever read this verse deliberately in context with the previous two verses?

"The stone which the builders rejected [Jesus] has become the chief cornerstone [on which to build our spiritual foundation]. This was the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the Day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:22-24

The next verse opens with "Save now, I pray, O LORD..." which translated from Hebrew, this becomes "Hosanna!"

The thought of Good Friday can make a Christian very mournful.

"He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross!" Phil 2:8


I mourn the fact that my God and Savior had to endure all this because of my sin.

Yes, He did.


But He didn't "have" to as much as He wanted to. He chose to. It was the only way we could be redeemed.

The Hebrews celebrated "this day" as the Day of Deliverance. This is the Day of Deliverance for us, too.

"...He said, 'It is finished!' And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit." John 19:30

This Good Friday represents the most difficult day in the life of our Lord Jesus. But it also represents the day that He stood in my place. This is the Day that the LORD has made...let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you were willing to pay a debt that you did not owe, because I owed a debt I could not pay. For this I will worship You alone forever.

Cake for Supper and Dirt for Dessert

We're friends, right?

And friends share recipes and exchange our impressively creative ideas with each other, right?

This is one of the many, many benefits to blogging: all the paramount ideas we can learn from one another. I got the idea for dinner today from one such blogger, Karen at Surviving Motherhood, and now I have the privilege of sharing it with YOU.

We did something like this several years ago, but I didn't get any pictures of it then.

1. I didn't have a camera.
2. I wasn't blogging yet, so it didn't matter.

But today, I'm getting pictures. Because you wouldn't believe me if I didn't get them.

Menu for the Day:

Breakfast
Vanilla Ice Cream scoops with chocolate syrup
(drop biscuit scoops with warm Nutella poured over the top)

 Breakfast of the Year 2010

Lil'bit enjoying his "hot fudge sundae" breakfast

Lunch
Fish Sticks with mac & cheese
(vanilla wafer cookies covered in peanut butter and "breaded" with crushed corn flakes; mac & cheese was real)

 Fish Sticks that fell from heaven

Brown Eyes was pretty fooled with this one; he had no idea until he bit into it.

Dinner
Chocolate cake with white icing
(meatloaf cake frosted with mashed potatoes, served with real green beans...I can't help myself.)

Lil'bit was the only one so fooled by this one. He kept asking if he could "lick the bowl."

Dinner was really fun...

Lil'bit was "less than impressed" with his "cake"

Mini me enjoying his "cake"

Red Juice Cocktail
(which was really red jell-o in a glass with a straw)

Mini me's thinkin', "How am I supposed to drink THIS?"

Dessert
Flower Pot Dirt Cake
(crushed oreos on top of pudding/coolwhip/cream cheese concoction)

 Complete with Easter lilies

The last time we did this, we made cupcakes the same way as the cake; just make meatloaf in muffin cups, and "frost" with colored mashed potatoes. We also made green beans out of green jolly rancher chews, which was really fun.

Hope you guys had a great April Fool's Day...I know we did.

Have a Happy Resurrection Day!

Flashback Friday

Linda at Mocha with Linda has started a meme called Flashback Friday! Here's her prompt for this week:

What was Easter like when you were little? For example, did you receive a basket with toys and candy? Was the Easter Bunny part of your family's celebration? Did your family integrate both secular and spiritual aspects of the day? Did you dye Easter eggs. . . .and did your family eat them afterwards? Did you usually get a new outfit? (Post a picture if you have one!) Does any Easter stand out particularly? You might also share how your Easter today is similar or different to your childhood?

Easter when I was little was really more secular than anything. I never made the connection between what I saw as Easter and the Resurrection of Christ until I was much older.

But most of my early Easters were spent at my Granny's house in the beautiful hill country of Texas. My favorite memories of all those Easters are encompassed in one thing: bluebonnets.

I used to take a basket out in the meadow and pick as many bluebonnets as I could fit in it. Now, if you pull over on the side of the road and try to do that, you'll get heckled and honked at by drivers on the highway. Rumor has it you can even get arrested for it! (at least that's what they say *wink*) 

Bottom Line: You're flat not supposed to pick bluebonnets on the Texas highway; you're taking away from everybody else's enjoyment of them when you do that.

But if you're on private land, now that's a diff'rnt story. And my Granny's land had more bluebonnets than dirt during the spring time, so propagating them wasn't really an issue.

So I would pick me a big basket full and take them back to Granny's house and make designs on the back porch with them. I would lay them out in the shape of Easter baskets, bunny rabbits, eggs (decorated with other wildflowers like buttercups and indian blankets):

Then the Easter bunny would come and fill the "baskets" I had made for all the family...each person got their own basket. My basket always included these staples: hollow chocolate bunny, a ceramic Easter "knick-knack," and a stuffed animal. I adored stuffed animals.

My other favorite memories include many walks down that old country road wearing my new Easter dress (Grandma was always so faithful to get me a new dress for Easter). I truly enjoyed the birds singing and the bright sun warming my face as I walked down Granny's driveway, which had to be a half mile long.

What a beautiful place she had.

As for now, we don't really buy into all the bunny hype for Easter. I think it rather takes away from the point of the celebration. I usually wake the boys for church by saying, "Happy Resurrection Day!" For which I always get a sleepy smile.

We don't do Easter baskets anymore, since we don't have bluebonnets here, but we usually do dye eggs a day or so before and then have an egg hunt in the yard. I don't usually buy the hollow bunnies, but last year I did find some chocolate crosses, which I was thrilled to see and buy for my boys. And we may not give many material gifts to each other, but we gift the gift of ourselves to each other.

After church, we usually spend the rest of the day cooking brisket, beans, and potato salad, some kind of yummy dessert (like banana pudding), and drinking sweet tea. And after the egg hunt is done, we find all the "Resurrection Eggs" out of our baskets, and go through them one at a time retelling the story of Jesus' death on the Cross and Resurrection on that blessed Easter morning.

Just special family time to celebrate a special family Holy-day.

What about you? Do you have any special Easter memories? What do you do for Easter to stay focused on the true meaning? Be sure and check out Linda's and others' answers at Mocha with Linda!

My True Love Gave to Me...Day 12

Saturday before last, I started  the 12 Days of Christmas post series based on a book called The Real 12 Days of Christmas by Helen Haidle. You can read the introduction about it and the first 11 days here.

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"On the twelfth day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me...twelve drummers drumming..."

Most people who have written on this subject will say that the twelve drummers are the twelve points in the Apostle's Creed. It seems the reason that many say that is because they also believe that it was the persecuted Catholics in England who devised the "hidden" meanings to protect their doctrine.

As I mentioned in my first post in this series, I'm not sure that I agree with that opinion since there is no physical evidence that it was a Catholic group or individual who wrote the song. Furthermore, and more importantly, it doesn't make any sense that this song would provide protection for the Catholic belief points mentioned in the song when those who were opposed to the Catholic church (the Anglican church) claimed the same points in their doctrine.

Plus, there are so many references to the number 12 in Scripture; why should I attribute these 12 to something that isn't in Scripture?

SO, I may be in the minority here, but here's what I see.

Look at this description, written by Neil W. Grover, as to the purpose of the drum during the time of the writing of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" --

"As far back as the middle ages, guilds of drummers were formed to add brilliant rhythm and flourishes to festivals, occasions of the royal court and to march troops to battle."

Festivals make me think of praise...they are a time of celebration and recognition of something of worth...just exactly what we do when we praise God. Festivals typically include a feast; when we praise God, we are feasting on His goodness.

"He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." Deuteronomy 8:3

The closest thing that I have ever experienced regarding a royal court is corporate worship. Think about it: it's a time when those who belong to God's Royal Court come together to give homage to One who is Sovereign. Here is a definition of "royal court" found on dictionary.com:


Royal Court

noun
1.	the family and retinue of a sovereign or prince [syn: court]
2.	the sovereign and his advisers who are the governing power of a state

Drums have been used in battle for several centuries. Particularly in the 1600's, drums were used for several purposes during warfare. They kept the soldiers in time so that they marched together in a straight line approaching the enemy. The drums also were used by the Commanding Officer to communicate maneuvers to his battalions. No doubt the beating of the company drums also instilled courage and vigor into the hearts of the men.

In "The 12 Days of Christmas" song, my True Love gave 12 drummers drumming. I believe these 12 drummers can be better represented by 12 leaders, one set for each people group:

For the Jews: 12 Tribes
and
For the Gentiles: 12 Apostles (after Judas was replaced by Matthias)

Those 12 tribes of Israel laid the foundation for the Ancient Hebrew and their descendants for the watching and the receiving of the long awaited Messiah. Not only did their Messiah come through them, but in the meantime they taught their descendants how to praise and worship God in obedience until He came. God also used the leaders of these 12 tribes to lead the Israelites to defeat their enemies.

Later, the 12 Apostles, those who laid the foundation of the church, were the men who gave us the instruction manual for understanding how God's salvation applies to us (evoking praise); they gave us the blueprint for what the Church should look like (corporate worship); and went before us in spiritual warfare to encourage us to press on.

Now I don't know if there is another soul who would ever see it this way, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it. :-)

Now, just for fun, I thought I would post a fun, contemporary version of this beloved song.
Enjoy the video:

My True Love Gave to Me...Day 11

Saturday before last, I started  the 12 Days of Christmas post series based on a book called The Real 12 Days of Christmas by Helen Haidle. You can read the introduction about it and the first 10 days here.

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"On the eleventh day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me...eleven pipers piping..."

The eleventh gift from our Heavenly Father (My True Love) is really pretty simple. The eleven pipers piping represent the eleven original faithful disciples who walked and talked with Jesus before His death and resurrection. Eleven rather than twelve, of course, excluding Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Christ and therefore revealed his true loyalty.

Remember in Luke 24 when the two men are walking along the road to Emmaus discussing all that had happened regarding Jesus, His death, and His resurrection? Do you remember who their surprise Guest was who appeared with them, stimulating conversation between them?

It always slays me how the one man asked Christ, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have happened there in these days?"

Ha ha! He actually asked the...Creator of the Universe, the All-Knowing Almighty...how He could be so clueless! Cracks me up.

Well after their conversation with Him, and after He informed them of a thing or two, they realized to Whom they had been talking and immediately made their way back to Jerusalem.

They found the eleven and those with them gathered together and saying, “The Lord has really risen, and has appeared to Simon!” Luke 24:33

These eleven, the closest of Christ's faithful followers, are pictured in the pipers. A piper, by definition, is simply "one who plays the pipes." I really like the way Helen Haidle put it in her book The Real 12 Days of Christmas:

"Like children joyfully following a piper, these disciples followed Jesus. They also called others to follow Him. They piped an everlasting tune of great joy -- the salvation message of Jesus' resurrection from the dead."

Amen, and amen.

My True Love Gave to Me...Day 10

Saturday before last, I started  the 12 Days of Christmas post series based on a book called The Real 12 Days of Christmas by Helen Haidle. You can read the introduction about it and the first 9 days here.

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"On the tenth day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me...ten lords a-leaping..."


The 1828 Webster's Dictionary describes the term "lord" as the following:

"A master; a person possessing supreme power and authority; a ruler; a governor."

Those referred to as "lord" in the Middle Ages (which is when "The 12 Days of Christmas" song was written), had authority to mandate adherence to the law as proclaimed in the land. Ten lords a-leaping is meant to represent the Ten Commandments of God as laid out in Exodus chapter 20 and again in Deuteronomy chapter 5.

But why are the lords leaping?

I long for Your deliverance, O Lord; I find delight in Your Law. Psalm 119:174

Or how about this one...

Praise the Lord! How blessed is the one who obeys the Lord, who takes great delight in keeping His commands. Psalm 112:1

Like the ten lords a-leaping, we ought to not only embrace God's Law, but we ought to love it, delight in it, and leap with joy at the thought of obeying it. After all, Jesus came to fulfill God's Law, not abolish it.(see Matthew 5:17 and Romans 3:31)

Hope y'all are staying warm out there wherever you are. I hear even Florida's cold right now, so that probably means most of you are too, if you live in the United States. I know I'm one frozen Southerner, myself.

See y'all tomorrow for day 11.

My True Love Gave to Me...Day 9

Saturday before last, I started  the 12 Days of Christmas post series based on a book called The Real 12 Days of Christmas by Helen Haidle. You can read the introduction about it and the first 8 days here.

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 "On the ninth day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me...nine ladies dancing..."

"...praise Him with tambourine and dancing, praise Him with the strings and flute..." Psalm 150:4

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness..." Psalm 30:11

Dancing is a natural response to joy! The nine ladies dancing aren't grieving while they dance; they aren't bitter or angry in their merriment...they're full of delight and cheer!

As a Christian, what is our source of joy? Our source is Christ Himself, but how is it manifested in our life? How do we experience joy?

Here's a Scripture that can give us some insight:

"The godly bask in the light; the morally upright experience joy."Psalm 97:11

{This is all leading up to the representation of the nine dancing ladies...I promise.}

So if the joy we have to dance comes from walking in the light, what can the Father give to us that we can use to keep us walking in the light, and thereby filling us with joy?

"So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature."        Galatians 5:16

A little further down...and what would be supernaturally produced from that?

"But the fruit [the produce] of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23

D'ja count how many of those fruits are mentioned? Nine.

Even though this fruit is produced in us, it still is not of us; it is of God. It is a gift from God produced in our lives when we walk in the Spirit.

Walking in the Spirit makes me wanna dance.

My True Love Gave to Me...Day 8

Last Saturday I started  the 12 Days of Christmas post series based on a book called The Real 12 Days of Christmas by Helen Haidle. You can read the introduction about it and the first 7 days here.

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"On the eighth day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me...eight maids a-milking..."

According to tradition, the eight maids a-milking are representative of the "eight unique teachings of Jesus sometimes called the Beatitudes." (Haidle) These specific teachings are found in Matthew 5:3-10: 

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

If you read one more verse, there is another "Blessed are...," which is simply restating verse 10. The Scriptures often do this to show emphasis on something in particular. Apparently being persecuted for Christ is something we should seriously rejoice in...He said it three times! Here are verses 10-12:

"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Sidenote: If you're being persecuted by anyone for anything that pertains to your faith in Jesus Christ, take heart!  He sees it; He doesn't miss a thing. And you will see treasure from it in heaven one Day. Treasure that you will in turn have the opportunity to lay at the feet of Christ Himself...oh Glory!

Okay, so back to the milking maids. Why milk?

Just as milk brings nourishment and promotes development in an infant, the concepts taught by Jesus here will edify and fortify us into spiritual maturity.

"...like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation..."  1 Peter 2:2

My True Love Gave to Me...Day 7

Saturday I started  the 12 Days of Christmas post series based on a book called The Real 12 Days of Christmas by Helen Haidle. You can read the introduction about it and the first 6 days here.

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"On the seventh day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me...seven swans a swimming..."

On this day, the seven gifts from God to His people are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 12:6-8):

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."

The neat thing about it is that the life of the swan represents the growth of Christian. In her book entitled The Real 12 Days of Christmas, Helen Haidle says

"Just as baby swans grow and change from "ugly ducklings" into beautiful and graceful birds, so do God's children grow and change through the work of the Holy Spirit. The various gifts of the Holy Spirit are distributed for the benefit of the entire body of Christ."

Baby swans, known as cygnets, are sometimes compared to a cute little duckling and found in wanting. They are awkward, disproportionate, and a little silly looking.

Awkward, but adorable little duckling, uh, I mean cygnet

Can you remember when you were saved? I can. And I remember being very awkward in my walk. I stumbled a lot, made a lot of clumsy mistakes, and sometimes even acted a little silly about things that I knew weren't "right," but I didn't have a mature understanding on how to deal with such things.

As the Holy Spirit has seasoned me and taught me how to exercise the gifts He's given me, I begin to develop. I start to see changes, inside my heart and outside in my behavior. Sometimes I still feel like I'm an adolescent in the Lord, but I know I'm growing, changing, maturing. And He's making me to look more like Him in the end.

My True Love Gave to Me...Day 6

Saturday I started  the 12 Days of Christmas post series based on a book called The Real 12 Days of Christmas by Helen Haidle. You can read the introduction about it and the first 5 days here.

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 "On the sixth day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me...six geese a laying..."

Throughout history and in many cultures, eggs symbolize new life.

Even in the practice of the Passover Seder that the Jewish people still observe today, we can see an example of how the egg symbolizes life. One of the objects of remembrance that is placed on the Seder plate is a roasted hard-boiled egg. As a representation of life, the roasted egg is signifying the life of the lamb that, at one time, needed to be slain to wash them of their sin.

Here's what one website, ChosenPeople.com, said about the egg on the Seder plate:

"A roasted egg is on the seder plate to bring to mind the roasted daily temple sacrifice that no longer can be offered because the temple no longer stands. In the very midst of the Passover Seder, the Jewish people are reminded that they have no sacrifice to make them righteous before God."

This is the reason that Jesus Christ in the Gospel of John in the New Testament was given the Name "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world". He made that sacrifice once-and-for-all, and it need never be repeated. It only needs to be applied to the heart of one who will believe. (see John 1:12; and John 3:15-18, just to start).

Now that we have established that an egg symbolizes new life, let's get back to those six geese laying so many of them. What could they represent as a gift from the Father (my True Love) to His children?

Most people (who don't resign to just believe that the song is nothing more than nonsense) say that the six geese a laying represents the six days of God's work of creation. With each of those days, God produced a different source of life, which, like the egg-laying geese, continues to produce more life.

We serve such a masterfully creative God.



This has been an interesting study to do. I hope you're enjoying it as much as I am!
See you in 2010!

My True Love Gave to Me...Day 5

Saturday I started  the 12 Days of Christmas post series based on a book called The Real 12 Days of Christmas by Helen Haidle. You can read the introduction about it and the first 4 days here.

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"On the fifth day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me...five gold rings..."

Up until now, most of the gifts of Christmas have had more than one interpretation. From here on, I didn't see much discrepancy on what the gifts could represent; everyone seems to agree for the most part.

All through ancient history, gold rings were meant to indicate lifelong commitment, security in relationship, and in some cultures, even ownership. It's the reason that the traditional wedding band, even today, is a gold band.

In "The 12 Days of Christmas" song, it is said that the five rings represent the first five books of Old Testament (or the Torah), known as the Pentateuch, which means "five books". These first five books were written by Moses, and in a nutshell, they lay out the original Covenant God made with His people.

This Covenant that God made with them was actually a Marriage Covenant. Watch this:

"For your Maker is your husband,
The LORD of hosts is His name;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;
He is called the God of the whole earth. "   Isaiah 54:5

Since the nation of Israel is said in the Scriptures to be the wife of Jehovah God, it makes sense that the Pentateuch would be represented by gold rings, the symbol of lifelong marital commitment, one for each book.

One may say, "But I'm not an ancient Hebrew...or Jewish." To that I would say don't forget that the New Testament Church is the Bride of Christ! Yet He still began with the nation of Israel, the apple of His eye, who would bring forth His Messiah...our Bridegroom!

Have you ever been to a Jewish wedding? Unfortunately I haven't, but I found a very informative website about Judaism written by an orthodox Jewish man. He does not write from a Messianic standpoint, as he is not a Messianic Jew (meaning he doesn't believe Jesus is the Messiah), but he has done much research on Judaism and seems to know what he's talking about. Here's one thing he said about the ceremony between man and his wife:

"The man then places the ring on woman's finger and says 'Be sanctified (mekudeshet) to me with this ring in accordance with the law of Moses and Israel.'"

So the five gold rings given by my True Love (God) represent the first five books of our Old Testament, the Pentateuch, in which the Law of Moses and the Covenant between God and His wife, the nation of Israel, was recorded and made known. Furthermore, the ring is a symbol of the commitment of the wife to her Husband and the Husband to His wife through the sanctification of the wife. Amazing.

I just can't think of anything more perfect than gold rings to be the picture of symbolism here.

I don't think I'll ever sing this song the same again.

My True Love Gave to Me...Day 4

Saturday I started  the 12 Days of Christmas post series based on a book called The Real 12 Days of Christmas by Helen Haidle. You can read the introduction about it and Days 1, 2, and 3 here.

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"On the fourth day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me...four calling birds..."

Apparently, the old English has been changed a bit over the years, because the four calling birds are actually supposed to be colly or collie birds. Collie comes from the same root word as coalier, or coal, which means black.

So collie birds are actually European black thrush birds (better known as plain ol' blackbirds). In my research of these birds, there were two words that kept coming up over and over again: black (of course), and common.

Helen Haidle in her book The Real 12 Days of Christmas, as do most others, associates the four collie birds with the four Gospels, and more specifically the four Gospel writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Just as the blackbirds in the song, these four men were common, ordinary, run-of-the-mill kind of people. There was nothing special about any of them...no special markings or colors particular about them. No super-natural talents that warranted them special treatment or favor. They were ordinary men with an extraordinary Savior, in an extraordinary time, and with an extraordinary mission.

In fact, they were so ordinary, that any one of us could be mistaken for them. Matthew was a tax collector; Mark's previous occupation isn't even mentioned; Luke was a physician; and John was a fisherman. Normal, everyday people doing very normal things. Common as blackbirds.

Yet theirs were the voices that God Almighty, Creator of the Universe, intended to use from the foundation of the world to share the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of the Messiah through the four Gospels. And God's words penned through their hands, calling out to the human race to come to Salvation, is still the embodiment of the Gospel message almost 2,000 years later.

The next time you feel as common and ordinary as an old English blackbird, rest easy. That's the very characteristic that God seems to like to use best.

Common Blackbird

My True Love Gave to Me...Day 3

Saturday I started  the 12 Days of Christmas post series based on a book called The Real 12 Days of Christmas by Helen Haidle. You can read the introduction about it and Days 1 and 2 here.

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"On the third day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me...three French hens..."

Like the two turtledoves, the three french hens have more than one symbolism attached to them. Some view them as the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Others believe it was a reference to faith, hope and charity (love). Fine gifts, indeed.

Still others, including Helen Haidle, refer to the value of the poultry during that time as being something only the rich could afford. As a gift, three french hens would be considered perhaps as valuable as the three gifts mentioned in the Bible that were brought from afar for the new King: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Gold has one main practical and rather obvious use for new parents of a King...as a monetary contribution.

Frankincense comes from root words meaning "true" (frank) and "incense."

It was used for many practical household reasons: strengthen teeth and gums by chewing it; digestion system; topical wounds (it fights infection, it's an antiseptic and has anti-inflammatory properties). The spectrum of its uses is so wide, it is said it can be used for everything from a cold to cancer!

In addition to its many practical uses, it was more importantly used as an incense in the Temple and for burning grain offerings to the Lord (see Ex. 30:34) and (see Lev. 2:1-2, 15). Keeping in mind that the sacrifices made were a tangible way to worship the Lord in obedience, it seems suitable for the King of kings to be given probably the most costly ingredient in this gift to the Lord.

Myrrh has a bitter taste, so its name comes from a Hebrew word meaning "bitter." It has many of the same practical uses as Frankincense, including its presence in the holy anointing oil (see Ex. 30:23). There is one thing in addition that I have found: It was also used by the ancients in their burial preparations.

Could this be a bit of foreshadowing?

I'm not suggesting that the wise men who brought these gifts knew what they were doing, but the God of Heaven and earth certainly knew what was to come. Down to the "nth" degree.

Here's the part that convinced me. In reading up on the Biblical references to myrrh, I found one other reference that says to me this was no coincidence.

In Mark chapter 15, we see Jesus on the dusty road leading Him to the Cross. When we get to verse 23, it says,

"Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it ."

It was customary during that time for wine mixed with myrrh to be offered to one who had been condemned to death by crucifixion as a way to numb the pain.

Interesting.

So the wise men brought gifts that were reflected in both the worship of Him as God and the death and burial of Him as Savior. I'll bet they had no idea of the deep significance in the gifts they bore.

Nor did they understand its intrinsic value.

Join me tomorrow for a look at the 4th Day of Christmas.

My True Love Gave to Me...Day 2

Yesterday, I started  the 12 Days of Christmas post series based on a book called The Real 12 Days of Christmas by Helen Haidle. You can read the introduction about it and Day 1 here.

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"On the second day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me...two turtledoves..."

There have been, interestingly, two different takes on the turtledoves. Many people say that the two turtledoves represent the two Testaments given by God in His Word: the Old Testament and the New Testament. This is certainly an adequate way to think of two gifts that the Father in Heaven has given to His own.

His Word certainly is a prized gift.

But I also like Helen Haidle's interpretation:

"For hundreds of years, Jewish families used turtledoves as offerings to God. The gift of two turtledoves is a reminder of the sacrifice offered for Jesus by Mary and Joseph."

"Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord...and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: 'a pair of doves or two young pigeons.'" Luke 2:22, 24

Turtledoves were considered to be "clean" animals, suitable for sacrificing in the Old Testament (see Lev. 1:14)

It really is just like Him to offer to us the very thing that He wants us to offer back to Him. He gives us abundant life on this earth; we give it back to Him in our obedience. He gives us spiritual gifts with which to answer His call on our life; we give it back in our service to Him and His people. He gives us eternal life spent with Him; we'll give it back in eternal, perfect worship. Everything we have has been a gift from the Father.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:17

And everything we have is meant for us to do His bidding. In that way, we have made that sacrifice of the two turtledoves back to Him. What a perfect Savior. He makes the Way, and then gives us what we lack to complete our part of the covenant.

I think I'm gonna love doing this series.