Advent Conspiracy

Everyone wants Christmas to be meaningful…

So…what is Christmas really about?

Love. A love so great we cannot comprehend. About God, who sent His precious baby Son into a world of sin. About the Son who would become the ultimate sacrifice so that man could witness this kind of love. So that many could accept the free gift of forgiveness and live in complete relationship with God. It’s so different than the kind of love we are capable of. But it’s the selfless kind of love we look to follow and to model. We are to give of ourselves in love to others.

That beautiful message often gets overshadowed by the mounds of materialism and the clutter of commercialism. To counter that this Christmas, we join with our church and with many others in the “Advent Conspiracy.” (See the video on YouTube.) We want to “Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, Love All” to celebrate the real meaning of Christmas.

We just finished our study of Acts with our small group. After Jesus died, as we all know, that was just the beginning. The story continues with the miraculous working of the Holy Spirit in the formation of the Church. It’s the story of the Gospel Message being spread powerfully from Jerusalem to Rome and to the ends of the earth. In those early days of the Church, all the believers were one in heart and mind and they shared everything they had…the Bible says there were no needy persons among them. (Acts 4:32-35 NIV).

Contrast that behavior with the present day. The Advent Conspiracy video highlights the fact that the world spends $450 billion on Christmas, yet for only $10 billion we could solve the world’s water problem…

This Christmas, we are giving our loved ones simple gifts to show our love for them, because sharing our “presence” is more important than our “presents.” Instead of adding to the clutter of consumerism or the mounds of materialism, we were moved to help Samaritan’s Purse build wells so more people around the world can enjoy clean water.

We strive to share of ourselves and live the message that consumerism does not equal happiness, memories and meaning. We aim to worship fully by giving our “presence” and loving like Jesus.

We wish you all the true peace of Christ, even in the midst of whatever challenges and concerns you are facing. It is the true spirit and message of Christmas you can take with you all year long!

God, we worship you and thank you for the precious gift of your Son. We are humbled and amazed at your great love. May all come to know your peace. Let your Presence be in everything we share this Christmas…in Jesus’ name.

Love First

A work friend got married yesterday. The sun was shining and more than a foot of snow was hanging in the trees from our mid-week storm. Pine and holly adorned the church and she was a beautiful bride in her elegant white gown accented with dazzling red trim. The sparkles in her long train matched the stars in their young eyes.

The minister gave a thoughtful message. As was his practice during pre-marital counseling, he had asked, "Why do you want to get married?" The answer, as always, was "Because we love each other."

His followup question is, "Why do you love each other?" With this, he says, he gets different answers, but most couples talk about how wonderful the other makes them feel.

He told them what they are describing is "being loved," and yes, it is a great blessing to be loved and to know it. "But to love is quite different than being loved," he distinguished...

Being loved is only half the equation. (And not the half we need to worry about.)

To love is to put the other person before yourself. To love is to help your partner to be the best they can be. To love is to think of their needs and to think of what it means to make them feel loved always, through everything. Love often means sacrifice.

If more would remember these words, more marriages would be solid, more children would live in secure homes... What a great reminder to everyone who attends a wedding. We are there to support and encourage the new Mr. and Mrs. to make their marriage the best it can be. And in the midst of it all, we remember what it means for us to keep the sacred vows we made.

The world wants to tell us life is "all about me" and "getting what I need." If we listen long enough, we start to believe it. But Christ gave us a very different example. "We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19 NIV

He loved us when we were unlovable. Sometimes we are still "unlovable," yet how great it is that He still loves us. If only we would love the way Christ loves His Church. We are to love first!

"Give and it will be given to you... a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38 NIV.

Dear God, thank you for the marriage of our friends. And I thank you for a wonderful marriage. I pray for all our friends' marriages to be solid and strong. Would you please help us to love the way you love? the way you intended love to be? Help us to remember to serve our partners always and help them to be the best they can be. Help us to love first and love well. Thank you for your awesome example of real love.

Be Still

Job cuts are right around the corner at work. Will I survive?

So clearly God had led me to this job (see Where He Leads). But it doesn't mean forever... It means I need to trust Him for the next step, too.

It would be a great loss. A job I love and the people I do every day with. I so enjoy my routine. And if I do survive, the cuts will surely affect my colleagues and friends. Life will not be the same. We are living each day as if it may be our last, thanking God for what we have. He seems to say...

"Be still and know that I am God."

As we strive to prepare for the coming of Christ this Christmas, life is not without its weighty concerns. We have friends who are perplexed by job loss, pressured by illness, overwhelmed by financial struggles or relational chasms. Oh, Jesus, the world needs you so much now. And He seems to say...

"Press in, be still and trust me."

My sister gave me a small round delicate box with a scripture on the lid...and the same one inscribed inside: Be still and know that I am God. Ps. 46:10 NIV

As I admired it, I told her the verse was perfect for me right now. Just as I wondered, "what can I put in this beautiful little container?" she said, "I was trying to think of something to put in it for you."

Then it occurred to me, isn't that what we always do? But maybe instead of trying to "do" or "fill," we should appreciate "empty." Instead of planning every minute, crowding our schedules or filling the silence, I feel God is challenging me to preserve the time and space to just be still.

My little box is a new reminder to empty my mind of all the "to do's" and just be still...for a patient, pensive moment...and know that He is God.

Father God, thank you that you are in control. You know all our concerns. Let us be still and listen for your still small voice. Give us the peace that passes all understanding, the true peace of Christmas. You lead the way and we will follow. You are all we need.

Christmas Child

In the land of holiday plenty as I pass by the treat table, I have a heart tuned to those less fortunate elsewhere. While we indulge, it's sobering to realize two thirds of the world doesn't understand the concept of "counting calories." Some survive on one meal a day and keep busy so they don't think about their aching stomachs. In the November issue of Christianity Today, singer Sara Groves wept while visiting Rwanda when she saw a whole family taking shelter in a room the size of her bathroom.

And while many American kids have few chores and lots of free time, children of other countries are tasked with walking several miles to get water, gathering firewood and hand washing the few clothes their families own.

Those are the jobs of 7-year-old Rwogose, a little girl in a family of 15 children living in Uganda. She is our special little "Christmas Child"...ours to pray for throughout the month of December and ours to promote to others in the hopes of finding her a permanent sponsor.

We've been having a wonderful experience sponsoring children through Compassion International. Our sponsorship provides the basic necessities for a child, along with a Christian education. Their simple joy bubbles over into our lives in the letters they send: "I greet you and your family with joy and in the name of Jesus…" These people have so little, yet they are so thankful and so happy to have a sponsor. Though many miles separate us, they are part of our family.

A small sacrifice on our part has made such a difference in their lives. How easily might we otherwise spend $38 (a small monthly fee to give a child all of the above)… a family meal out? a new article of clothing? a salon or spa treatment? sporting equipment? tickets to an event? (Certainly none of these are wrong in and of themselves, but it puts in perspective the abundant choices we have while others are looking to simply survive.)

"All I want for Christmas" is a special appeal from Compassion International this holiday season to give more kids the opportunity to know that they are loved...through meeting the most basic of needs.

What I want for Christmas is for more people to consider this life-changing experience. For more info, please visit their site, e-mail me or comment here. Maybe you are not in a position to adopt a child, but even a one-time gift would tide some kids over until more sponsors can be found.

You will change a life forever. How can we spend any better than that?

Heavenly Father, you know all your children's needs. We thank you for the love you have lavished on us when you allowed us to live in a land of plenty. Please tune our hearts and help us spread our resources to the "least of these." Help us to live more simply so that others can simply live. Would you find Rwogose a sponsor? Please release her and the many other children from poverty…in Jesus' name.

Insert Your Worry Here

“Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Gen. 18:14 (NIV)


My struggles weighed heavy on my heart. If I were really trusting God, then why did I let those worries creep in again?

It was then I opened my Bible and continued reading in Genesis, right where we had left off in our last study time. Sarah had just heard that she would bear a child to Abraham and she laughed because they were both well beyond child-bearing years.

But the Lord said, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

The verse came to life for me. Is it too hard for Him to… [insert your worry here] Mend a relationship? Resolve a problem? Heal my past? Change an attitude? Develop a talent? Find me a job? A good doctor? A sitter? A mentor? A friend? A roommate? A soul mate?

Absolutely not! I realized if God could make a 90-year-old woman – barren all her life – have a child, He could certainly do anything.

My prayers were refreshed with new hope. Nothing is impossible with God. Luke 1:37 (NIV)

Reflection: What is it in your life today that is too difficult for you…but not for God?

Thank you, God, that nothing is too hard for you. Your arm is not too short. Nothing is impossible for you. I will hope in you.

To My Delight

It began with a playful little prayer two weeks ago. Reflecting on good times of the past and wondering where some of those people are now, I asked God if He would connect me with someone I haven't seen in awhile.

Just three days later, I found Patti at the library in the Christian book section. Seven years ago, we had shared our faith and our interest in art, then lost touch. I thanked God for answering my prayer already!

While watching the news that same evening, I was thrilled to see a face I hadn't seen in 30 years! God had answered again, reminding me of a rich friendship, also rooted in our faith. (No, the news is not all negative!)

Then this weekend, I "divinely" bumped into a grade school classmate who had moved away 40 years ago. It was such fun to reminisce about childhood adventures!

My husband asked, "Why do you think God brought these people back in your life?"

"Relationships are important," I answered. I had made a request to my Daddy and He delighted in surprising me. "That's how God is, don't we know? He often answers in abundance!" I dismissed the question, but the sweetness of the answered prayers lingered awhile. He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine... (Ephesians 3:20 NIV).

Then late that evening, I looked to my husband for reassurance as I revisited a heavy situation, a yet unanswered prayer, that was once again consuming my thoughts. For a very long time I have prayed, and God's answer, so far, has been "Wait."

I remembered how God had come through so many times in wonderfully unexpected ways. I tried to stay positive, imagining the day this prayer would be answered too. It has been a painfully long wait -- I never thought I'd be languishing this long. I struggled with the logic on why this wouldn't be God's will now. Would I have to face it that this may never be God's will?

"His way is perfect and His timing is perfect," Ted comforted.

Aha! That is why God answered my little prayer! He wants to reassure me He has heard all my prayers. He can't end the long wait just yet -- I'll have to trust Him with the details -- but perhaps He answered my whimsical prayer to let me know He has been hearing me! He has given me a little something to sustain my hope.

Thank you, God, for your lavish love and great patience with me. Thank you that even one small request was important to you, Almighty God! You know my heart and its deepest desires, and I will trust you -- for however long it may take.

See For Yourself

Ever been drawn to a photo of a beach in an exotic tropical paradise? The water so blue, the surf so playful, the sand so white, you could almost hear the waves coming in, taste the salt spray and feel the sun on your back?

Have you felt the call of a majestic snow-capped mountain photo, the green bluffs of Ireland, or the allure of the rugged Atlantic Seaboard? Did it take you into another world, at least for a moment?

When we read a devotional or some renowned-author’s Bible study, we can get a glimpse of another world. Those who have traveled before us help us know what to expect as we anticipate our own journey. They can entice us with attractive itineraries and lay out the best route for us as we navigate into new territory.

But just as all the gorgeous photos I had previously seen of the Grand Canyon could never fully replicate the experience of being there, the authors’ insights can never fully bring us the rich experience of going directly into the Word and seeing for ourselves.

Will you be content to see someone’s vacation photos or would you rather climb that bluff for your own breathtaking view? Will you be happy with a palm tree-lined post card or would you venture out to feel the warm sand between your toes?

Go directly to God’s Word – the Bible. Drink deeply of the refreshing cool mountain streams. Don’t be afraid to ask questions of your travel guide, the Holy Spirit, who lives within you. It will be the trip of a lifetime!