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Archives for December 2017

Do You See What I See? A Message in a Bottle…

12.26.2017 by Tammy Chapman //

She loves and laughs well. We love her, and we think you will love her, too! Please welcome Tammy Chapman as our guest to FACETS of Faith this month. And please—share, share, share this beautiful post with everyone you know.

“To someone beautiful and far away,” that’s how it all began.

Ake Viking, a lonely Swedish sailor longing for love, put his heart on paper, wrapped it in a bottle, and tossed it into the sea. Remarkably, two years later, the young Paulina found Ake’s bottle on the shores of Sicily and decided to respond.

Paulina could have read Ake’s words and laughed, thinking them silly. She could have assumed too much stood between them for anything meaningful to come of it… after all, Ake was in Sweden, she, in Italy. They didn’t even speak the same language, and two years had passed since he had written those words. Surely, he had found the love he was looking for. Or she could have just remained enamored with her discovery and placed the little bottle and its sweet sentiment on her dresser for decoration. It would be a neat story to tell.

But Paulina did none of these.

When Paulina found that bottle and discovered the message inside, she read those words personally.

They were written to her.

They were meant for her.

Letters were exchanged, a new language was learned, Ake undertook a 2200-mile move, and the two became husband and wife.

The rest is history.

Wouldn’t it be fun to find a message in a bottle that was sent for you?

At its heart, isn’t that the very story of Christmas?

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NIV)

God has a message that He wants you to hear, and He sent His Son to deliver it to you personally.

You, beautiful one, are beloved. And not just by some really nice person who enjoys your company. And not just by your family who sort of have to love you. You are loved by the living God. The One who created you. The One who wanted you here to begin with. the One who has given everything to demonstrate that He. Really. Loves. You.

I was 14. I didn’t grow up in church but always believed in God. So when my friend’s family invited me to church, of course I said yes. As I sat in the service, although I am sure I had heard the words before, for the first time, I realized God was speaking them to me.

“Tammy, I sent my Son to earth for you. He came for you. Was born for you. Lived for you. And died for you. He rose from the dead for you. In Jesus, you will find what your heart longs for above all else. Perfect, unfailing, unrelenting love. A relationship that will never end.”

My mom had had a hard life, and in her desire to give me a better one, she left me to be raised by my grandmother. There’s more to it than that, but I couldn’t understand any of it at the time. So growing up, I felt like something must have been wrong with me.  I felt rejected. More than that, I felt rejectable – deserving of being rejected and worthy of nothing more. That day in church, I found out otherwise. And it changed my life. I was wanted.

That night, as I sat on my bed, I told Jesus I wanted to be part of His family and that if He saw anything worth saving in me, my answer was yes. That was 35 years ago. Now my life is devoted to helping others get to know Jesus. To helping them discover the truth about their worth.

Precious child, do you know how valuable you are?

Do you know how loved you are?

Do you know in the deepest part of your being that you were created because you were wanted?

Cherished one, whatever damage this world has done to you, King Jesus stands ready to heal your heart and make you whole. So when you see images of Him lying in the manger, turn your heart to Him directly and ask what His message is for you. Whatever He says, take it personally. I’m pretty sure it will include something like this:

“To someone beautiful and far away,

Father God so loved the world that He asked me if I would come. I saw you and said yes. So don’t be afraid. Whatever you think would make me turn away from you, I have taken care of it. All of it. It is finished. Nothing can separate you from my love. So come to me. I will give you new hope, new purpose and new life.”

Beloved, these words have been written to you.

They are meant for you.

Won’t you open the bottle? Soak in the words and say yes to Jesus.

 

Categories // Do You See What I See, Faith, Guest Perspectives Tags // Christmas, Christmas Message, John 3:16, Message in a Bottle, Tammy Chapman, What do you see in Christ?, You are loved

Do You See What I See? God’s Love

12.12.2017 by Jennifer Howe //

Welcome, friend! We’re so glad you stopped in during the busy holiday season! Last week Tracy began our conversation topic HERE. You won’t want to miss the next two weeks, either. Kim will be sharing her thoughts next, and then we have our guest, Tammy Chapman, who we know you’ll love the following week! Don’t miss the new posts each Tuesday.

Beautiful, beautiful Christmas! I (Jennifer) love the beauty in December. I’m a white-lights-and-matching-ornaments kinda gal, and I love our artificial tree. (I’m either saving a tree or sparing myself the aftermath when gravity wins the pine needle battle.) As magical as the season seems to be with the hustle and bustle in chilly weather, frosty street scenes described in carols, decked out windows, and the anticipation of what’s beneath the pretty gift wrap. By now, many of those lovely things can be a distraction to my seasonally overwhelmed soul. So I fight for my peace when we usually celebrate the advent of the Prince of Peace. Ironic? Yeah, I think so.

I’ve been thinking about this month’s question for weeks now. The inspiration for my response has ebbed and flowed (and even flowed right off my hard drive when my laptop crashed one night).

How do I see God? And do you see what I see?

God is love. 1 John 4:8b

Close friends and many readers know some of my personal story. Like all of us, there’s a highlight reel and low lights thrown in for “color” or something, right? When we’re honest, each of us lives life with some desire just outside our grasp; it’s only natural in this world. I always wanted the strong, friendly, perfect daddy my friend showed in every scene of her highlight reel. That was before I knew human daddies were most definitely human.

“But God…”

Almighty God, the Creator of the universe, the Daddy-God who deeply loves us is completely other, isn’t He? His love is free of all limits—not bound by time, culture, or gender. God the Father sent His Son, Jesus, for all of us, and He is who we celebrate this time of year (regardless of the actual birth date). And I love that! The God of the universe loved us so much the Son chose to set aside His heavenly existence and deity for just a while. For me and for you!

But what does that mean?

It means that in a quiet, little town called Bethlehem everything in two realms changed in an instant. The perfect heavenly realm moved and opened the door to the harsh, broken, earthly one. The Almighty, our heavenly Father, answered the deepest need humanity had: reconciliation with Holy God. In Jesus—every desperate need, every faint hope, every terrible fear—answered.

My greatest fears are some tangle of knowing and being known, loving and being loved. And my heavenly Father answers every need and hope and fear perfectly. This Christmas I am finding my peace in Daddy-God’s gift of Jesus—

“To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.” ― Timothy J. Keller, The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God

And that introduces my very favorite Christmas carol this year: O Little Town of Bethlehem.

O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight (O Little Town of Bethlehem, v. 1. Brooks and Redner, 1868)

The Son who would introduce Himself as the Bread of Life was born in the little town named House of Bread (John 6:33-35). Why? To bring life to the world! The hope for something better than this world? Met in Jesus. The fear of sadness, weakness, loneliness, and even death? Met. The fear of being left out of a life with God somehow? Met.

I suppose that reminds me of a twist on an old Latin phrase: He came. He saw. He conquered. But not in the traditional way…

How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still,
The dear Christ enters in. (O Little Town of Bethlehem, v. 3.)

How does He conquer? Jesus comes to that quiet, little town when no one expects Him. His life opens the door to a beautiful, precious, intimate relationship with the Father. Heaven opened with this advent. Relationship was yet to be fully restored and the enemy’s plans completely dashed at the cross, but the new covenant was established and real and happening for the whole earth! That’s me, and that’s you! And “where meek souls will receive him…Christ enters in.” I am thankful our humble ask receives the beautiful, permanent “Yes, I’ll be with you now and forever” response from the humble King.

O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born to us today
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel (O Little Town of Bethlehem, v. 4.)

Friend, the God of heaven really is love!

“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God. John 3:16-18

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1

Do you see what I see? I’d love to hear more about your personal perspective. If you’re brave enough to share, I’d love to listen.

Thank you for reading, friend! I am grateful for you. I wish you and those close to you peace in the holiday season. Mostly, I wish you to feel the amazing love of Almighty God, your Daddy-God.

Signature, Jennifer Howe

Categories // Do You See What I See, Faith, Jennifer Howe's Perspective Tags // Christmas, Facets of Faith, Faith, God's love, Jennifer J Howe, Jesus, Love

Do You See What I See?

12.05.2017 by Tracy Stella //

Welcome to FACETS of Faith. Merry Christmas! I (Tracy) pray you see Christ in meaningful fashion as you read each of our perspectives this month. It’s a sweet season. Slow down. Savor Him. Look for Him with intention. Lord, help Your precious children see You for all You are to them and others. Reveal Yourself in this season where hearts are open in a special, tender way. In Jesus’ name, amen.

When you consider Christ, what do you see?

I see what I need depending upon what season I am in. I’m not talking about Christmas, Easter, winter or spring. I’m referring to my state of mind. Where am I at in life? How am I feeling about that? What are my present needs? Hopes? Hurts? Aspirations?

Do you see what I see?

What I see is who I need Jesus to be in that very moment.

I’m a woman. My needs fluctuate. You too? I can be on top of a mountain and want to twirl with Jesus like Julie Andrews singing, The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music. The hills alive, because I feel alive. Fresh, green, vibrant as the landscape echoing songs of jubilation back to me. You’re alive! Doesn’t if feel fabulous to breathe deep and take it all in? The score dramatic as my life and music create a crescendo, a beautiful chorus where people want to join in. In these moments, I see my need for a Dance Partner to twirl with me.

Not every day is a Julie Andrews kind of day. Sometimes it’s more like Alanas Morissette. I hate the world today. Angsty. Angry. Grrr. You wake up scrubbing sleep from your eyes, realize you are out of coffee, stub your toe on the sharp edges of your coffee table, creating the need to hop out your pain. All the while you think, Maybe I should go back to bed and toss the covers over my head, darkness beneath the blankets matching bleakness of this day. In these moments, I see my need for an Encourager to move me from sulking to singing.

Perhaps the darkness is more serious than a minor toe-stubbing nuisance. A diagnosis that feels gloomy. A marriage in disrepair. A dream dead. Loved ones lost, not knowing a Savior. In times of lament, I see Him as my greatest Comfort, the One I cannot do without.

That’s life, right? Ups AND downs. How do we deal with all that? We don’t get to pluck the good out and leave behind the things we’d rather not have. That’s not how life works, unfortunately. God said, in this life we would have trouble (John 16:33). Sometimes, that’s what we have.

But we also have hope. And we have a Savior. We have salvation for our souls when we say “yes” to Jesus and surrender our lives to Him. We have salvation for each and every day. The hard days when we want to sit in a puddle and fling mud all over ourselves to match our mood. The good days when our hearts are bursting full of joy, and we get to celebrate with the Only One who really knows what it took to get to the top of life’s mountains.

Do you see what I see?

 I see a God who sees me and you.

We could try to explain to others every step that stretched us out of our comfort zone as we climbed that mountain. But we don’t need to explain to God. He gets it. Because He gets us. It is glorious that He gets us.

The fact that He gets me, gets me through.

He’s also the first One I want to run to when I’ve got good news. He is my Confidant. I can confide in Him about ANYTHING. He is trustworthy. If you don’t know that, I pray you come to know it. If you do, I pray He gives you fresh revelation of that truth today.

Do you see what I see?

I see a trustworthy God.

Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”  Luke 1:42 NKJV

Above are the words Elizabeth spoke to her pregnant cousin Mary─Mary, the one who needed to trust God with her reputation and her future.

I love that Elizabeth didn’t use her inside voice. She proclaimed in a loud voice words to the effect of, Mary, do you realize how blessed you are? You carry the Christ! Who get’s to do that? You are carrying THE Blessing! Can you believe how blessed you are?

Elizabeth saw the blessing before Christ was born. Her attentive eyes of faith saw the beauty Mary carried in her. She saw Christ, our blessing.

Do you see what I see?

I see Christ our blessing. Do you see it too? Do you see Him as a blessing? Do you see that sweet precious baby born to a virgin as a blessing? He is you know. Even if you know Him and you love Him, do you really understand the depth of His blessing as He came through the womb of an innocent, pure, normal-until-that-day young woman?

It makes me wonder what Jesus saw in Mary that He would give her that kind of trust.

Mary faced hard circumstances. Judgement, I’m sure, from people who didn’t understand her situation. It was rather unbelievable, like many things of faith. God isn’t logical, practical, or fully comprehensible. It’s what makes Him God and requires our faith.

Do you see what I see?

I see a God who sees beyond who we are to whom we will become.

God saw a young woman whom He knew with His help would be strong enough to carry Him and care for Him in spite of what others might think. He gave her a close confidant in Joseph. God knew she’d need him to help her fulfill her calling. Angels were sent to Joseph too. He knew what God asked of him as well. Sacrifice. They both sacrificed much so that one day their precious baby boy could become our Sacrifice, the Sacrifice that saved the world —including you and me.

Do you see what I see?

Baby born to save the world through every day people.

Without the courage, trust, and belief of Mary and Joseph, we wouldn’t have our Christ. (Admittedly, God would have used someone else to deliver us. But because they were courageous, He didn’t have to.) What courage, trust, and belief is God calling you to? What won’t the world have if you don’t step into it?

“But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”  Luke 1:43 NKJV

Do you see what I see?

I see our Lord.

Like Elizabeth, we were given a Lord. He’s ahead of us in this matter. Waiting in the wings for each of us to say yes to Him as Leader of our lives. He wants to be, if we’ll let Him. We get choice. We get to choose Him as Lord (or not).

He’ll meet us on our most difficult days, like He ended up doing for his precious mama the day she looked on and saw her son, the Son, hanging on a cross willing to die for you and me. Before He did so, Jesus made sure His mama would be well-cared for by His closest companion, John, the disciple whom He loved. My friend, John, the one I love. I need you to love my mama. I know you will. I trust you to care for her. You’ve learned from me. Now take care of her. She’s going to need you. And I know you won’t let me down. That is a dark, desperate mama day. Literally, at Jesus’ death the skies turned dark (Mark 15:33).  Mary’s Lord made sure she wasn’t left alone.

When Mary sat in Elizabeth’s kitchen (where I visualize her because that’s where good conversation often takes place) and heard these words, I don’t think she could have imagined that dark day.

“For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for these will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”  Luke 1:44-45 NKJV

Do you see what I see?

I see blessing born from belief.

Mary was told she would have a child, and He would save the world. He did. And He does.  Jesus saves.

John the Baptist leaped in his mother’s womb for joy at the encounter with Christ. The stirring inside Elizabeth revealed to her Mary carried the Savior of the world.

Mary was given the immense privilege to care for the long-awaited Promise. Scripture fulfilled because she said “yes”.

Do you see what I see?

I see Jesus, our source of joy.

When we recognize Jesus, we see our source of all joy. Even a babe in a womb recognized it and leaped. Nothing else can bring joy like Jesus. The world will present all sorts of false narratives about what brings joy: buy me, try me, play me, let me play with you, idolatry.

Make no mistake. Joy to the world comes only through Christ.

When I look at Christ, I see joy. I see Him look upon us, me, with adoration in spite of my messy, muddled up attempts at living life for Him. I imagine His eyes twinkling as He looks upon me. She’s mine.  That one with the freckles. She makes me smile. Knowing He delights in me in spite of my sin (not because of it, in spite of it) brings me joy. He loves you in spite of your sin too; I hope you bask in great joy over that truth.

What struck me today as I wondered about what I see when I look at Christ is how He chose to introduce Himself to you and me. A baby. A baby born to a previously unknown, unpretentious, betrothed woman who the town probably thought of as tainted trash, because they couldn’t see the truth. A baby born to a virgin.

Jesus could have chosen any way to come. He chose this one. I believe He really wants us to notice how He came.

Do you see what I see?

I see a Savior who made Himself vulnerable and humble. That’s how He came.

Not a warrior. Not a knight. Not a king the way we’d expect THE King. When I look at Christ as a baby born to brave, young Mary I see Him as vulnerable and humble.

I don’t want to move on from that. I think that’s His main point to this piece.

He came in vulnerability and humility.

He is our model. He is our ultimate Mentor. He wants me and you to live vulnerable and humble too. It’s how people will see Him.

Vulnerability and humility are not in vogue. That’s okay. The things of Christ aren’t necessarily in vogue with society. The Pharisees couldn’t see Christ because He came in such a vulnerable, humble way. They expected some grand entrance, or at least a grand gesture. Can we have a little fan-fare please?

That wasn’t the way of Christ.

He chose a different fashion to reveal Himself to us. He expects us to do life different too.

When I look at Christ today, I see vulnerability and humility and the blueprint on how to live my life for Him. Christmas, Easter, and every seeming insignificant day. Maybe it’s in the seeming insignificant days we reflect Him most.

This Christmas, I pray we respond like Mary when He calls us to Him and His purposes. I pray we see Him and we help others see Him too.

And Mary said,

I’m bursting with God-news;

            I’m dancing the song of my Savior God.

God took one good look at me, and look what happened─

            I’m the most fortunate woman on earth!

What God has done for me will never be forgotten,

            the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others.

His mercy flows in wave after wave

            on those who are in awe before him.

He bared his arm and showed his strength,

            scattered the bluffing braggarts.

He knocked tyrants off their high horses,

            pulled victims out of the mud.

The starving poor sat down to a banquet;

            the callous rich were left out in the cold.

He embraced his chosen child, Israel;

            he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high.

It’s exactly what he promised,

            beginning with Abraham and right up to now.

─Luke 1:46-55 The Message

What do you see this Christmas as you look toward Christ?

Join the conversation here or on our Facebook page.  

 

Categories // Faith, Tracy Stella's Perspective Tags // Blessing, Comforter, Confidant, Dance Partner, Despair, Elizabeth, God sees, hope, Humble, Humility, Jesus, John 16:33, John the Baptist, Joseph, Joy, King, Leader of our lives, Lord, Luke 1:42, Luke 1:43, Luke 1:44-45, Luke 1:45-55, Mark 15:33, Mary, Moutaintop Moments, Salvation, Savior, The God who gets you, Trials, Trouble, Trustworthy, Virgin Birth, Vulnerability, Vulnerable, What do you see in Christ?

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