innocent expectation

As I sit here early on Christmas morning my brain has been silenced by the sweetness of a love far beyond what I can grasp. Jesus entered our rugged world as a soft little baby. He entered into history for a time and caused a revolutionary wave that we are still feeling today. Jesus is still making history.

I love how Jesus came as a baby. It shows the innocence and sensitivity of God. I think the story of Jesus would be so different if he entered history as this reckless warrior-like thirty year old. Just picture how people would have responded. He may have been rejected all the more and written off as arrogant, forceful or void of need. But, the author of the story knew this delicate baby boy would be taken as an offering and a gift to humanity. Jesus entered the world in a position of need, yet all along possessing the power within to fulfill our needs. THAT IS POWERFUL! This revelation shows me there are times of need and times to help others in need. There is something beautiful about the giving and receiving in a relationship. There is something magical about the intimacy that is created through this transaction. You can’t have one without the other. What a model for us.

Our culture today says to be in “need”, is to be less than, unstable, disadvantaged, irresponsible and weak. This unfortunate definition has led to a revolution of control and independency. Longer term, the outcome has created not only an age of anxiety, but of hopelessness, isolation, loneliness and disappointment.

Jesus came as a baby. He was vulnerable, needing food, comfort, his diaper changed, warmth, love and a safe place to rest. Mary was the woman chosen by God to be a steward of this precious gift. The important call was placed on her life. Imagine if she didn’t step up to this kingdom task. What if she didn’t assume her role as the saviors’ mother? What if she didn’t care for the needs of Jesus?

This made me think of the call we have on our lives. I was thinking about this last night as I was driving through the canyon. There are significant times in our lives when we have to step up and make a decision that will affect the course of our lives greatly. Since we have free will, the choices we make will set a course having a particular impact either for good, bad or worst yet mediocre. I would rather make the wrong choice and have to get back to God’s best will, then to never a make a choice and live a stale life of apathy. Apathy is a deadly weight to a life of faith.

Mary chose to care for her needy baby. She gave until he was able to care for the needs of the world. He not only had compassion for those in need, he had the authority and ability to completely remove the need all together. This is the Jesus I live for. I need him. I am not ashamed to call him my Lord. If it weren’t for Jesus, I would look at the deck of cards that have been dealt to me and give up. It’s ONLY because of Jesus I have hope for an amazing history in the making.

Jesus- a baby, a savior and history maker. Much cause for celebration and hope today!

SIT, RUN, STAND!

Sit, Run, Stand


This morning was amazing at church. I have been attending a new gospel church. I am the only white girl and I LOVE it! The room is filled with blacks, Latinos, old ladies, kids, and single parents. We are all so different, yet we have one thing in common-Jesus. I have been drawn to this church for the last three weeks because I sense the people there are alive. When people are alive you know they are expectant. You are only expectant if you have encountered Jesus. Each person actually engages and participates in the service. I hear “amen”, “preach it”, “you go” one woman shouted when the pastor was on a roll and “that’s right” when there is a truth about God preached. LOVE IT! There is nothing fancy or programmatic about this church at all. We meet in a vet’s hall and have to put our chair away when we leave. There is something raw and fresh about it.

Anyhow, today as the preacher was going off about different prophecies and fulfillments of the Messiah, the Lord was speaking to me, on the side, about my personal posture or position before him. I scribbled down three words-SIT, RUN, STAND.

I didn’t really know why those words came to me. Yet, as the service went on I kept writing other things down. So I wanted to share some of the thoughts I had and hope this is encourages someone.

SIT- sitting before the Lord is an important practice because it implies that you are not going anywhere and are ready to converse. In the sitting position one can listen for direction in life. It is in this place of waiting where we are able to gaze or fix our eyes on Jesus. Sitting gives us rest for the mobility needed in the future. If we do not sit, rest, wait and listen the next two I will share about will be a LOT harder.

RUN- going from a rested and rejuvenated place of sitting we are now ready to set coarse. This coarse is set in the place of sitting. RUNNING and trying figure out the coarse is not the best idea. You can do it that way, but if you know the coarse you can run a lot harder toward the goal. There is always a point during a run that you have to persevere. That is when what was revealed to you in the time of sitting kicks in. So often we run haphazardly because we are trying to run as fast as we can and listen for direction at the same time. This can work from time to time, but why add more anxiety then needed.

STAND- there’s times during our journey when we need to stand. We need to stand FIRM and we need to stand in the AUTHORITY given to us. Standing is always forward movement. Standing is a mindset. What you believe about God and what you believe about yourself in relation to what have been given is everything. Standing firm and standing in authority can be done in the either sitting or running position.

In the flow of a typical day we may encounter special moments within each posture. You need all three. I spent many years just running, many more sitting and others standing. What I’ve found is that the seasons when I am AWARE of all three, I see power. I see favor. And I see transformation at whole new levels.

SIT, RUN, STAND three simple, yet revolutionary words.