Evidently, I’ve Got Good Hair

I was in the bank the other day and the teller said, “I notice your hair every time you come in here. I love your hair. You’ve got good hair.” Now I’m not bragging but I have managed to be able to pull off any hairstyle that is currently in fashion: Farrah Fawcett, Dorothy Hamill, Jenifer Anniston, curly, straight,short, long, inverted bob, and “extroverted bob” (a verbal contribution from one of my friends.) You name it and I can do it. No, not trying the Miley. Yes, I’m waiting for BIG hair to come back. Here's the secret: it's not the hair - it's the hair products.

That comment made me think about hair and I noticed people’s hair all the rest of that day. Some people had a little and some people had a lot. And it made me remember that God knows how many I have on my head at any given time. He knows the exact count. We all know we shed some. Moms of babies know that they like to pull them out with their little baby grasps. Ponytail girls know they lose some every time they undo their hair. God even know how many hairs you’d have if didn’t shave your head, guys. God knows that about each of us and that is not even His main priority in keeping up with us.

Matthew 10:29-30 Jesus Himself said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

I was down in the dumps and just remembering this verse and thinking about its implications made me feel refreshed and renewed. That little phrase that God know the daily count of our hair makes me realize just how intimately He knows each of us. It shows how treasured we are to God that he keeps up with His investment in us and calls us valuable.

We don’t have to wonder: “Does God love me?” “Does God know what’s going on in my life?” “Is God even there for me?” Yes, yes, yes! Why would God, the creator of all, take the time to keep count of your hair if He didn’t love you, know what’s going on with you, care about you, and be there for you all the time and every time you need Him? (That was a rhetorical question.)

We are God’s treasure. We are His loved children. We are His investment. We are highly valued by Him.

If He knows about your hair He knows about every part of you. He knows about every physical affliction you have from a cold to chemo to a skinned knee. He knows every heart hurt. He knows your financial condition. He knows and He cares because He values you.

So I have decided that the next time I feel distressed and depressed I’m just going to start counting my hairs and with each one say, “God loves me, God loves me, God loves me.” I’ll probably get the message before I get too far in the counting.

And I will imagine God saying to me,

“Jan, you’ve got good hair.”

And He will say that about you.

Evidently, you've got good hair too.

Close Harmony

My roots go deep into southern gospel music. I started singing as soon as I could talk. My mom and dad were in a quartet at church when they were young and newly married. Well, my dad sang until he had been married long enough to make my mom happy, then he quit. But my mom and aunts were singers. And my sister and I sing and would like to sing together if we didn’t have about 500 miles between us .I love the close harmony of four people singing four different parts that come together to make beautiful sounds. I just love it. And you can giggle all you want behind your hand but I’ve picked out quartet people in heaven I want to sing with for about a thousand years or more.

I have been excited in my Bible study of Colossians 3:12. I have taken each word apart and….I won’t bore you with details of my study but I’ve had southern gospel quartet close harmony fun.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones (*here are the group of singers,) holy and beloved (*God loves the sound of :) compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

(*My own thoughts about the verse)

1.    Compassionate hearts: deep feelings of God’s love for someone’s difficulty  or misfortune and understanding how God can use you to help that individual

2.    Kindness (useful kindness): meeting real needs in God’s way, in His timing, by His Spirit’s leading without any form of selfish greed or cruelty. It’s a word we don’t really have in our language –this unselfish kindness with no ulterior motives

3.    Humility and Meekness: gentle strength that begins with God’s inspiration and finishes with submission to His direction and empowerment putting others before ourselves

4.    Patience: waiting without fear, worry, stress, or anxiousness and staying steadfast in our desire to please God with every action

When these spiritual character qualities come together…Well, can you just imagine the harmony? When we put love, unselfish kindness, humility, submission, and steadfast waiting on God together in one person all working in that person at the same time…Well, stand back Bill and Gloria! (Only true gospel quartet lovers will get this.) And when we put a group of God’s people together all unified in these character qualities… Well, Gospel Singing Jubilee! (I told you my roots run deep.)

This is the close harmony of God’s people living Godly lives beside each other pointing a lost world to Jesus Christ. People with an understanding of God’s heart showing God’s heart to others. We are to have these God given qualities all together as one harmonious sound that reaches to the ends of the earth.

The other name for this close harmony of God’s people is…

 

wait for it …

His Church

Prayer for the New Year

( In my recent studies I found this prayer by Thomas Brooks in New City Catechism. The Lord used this to help me set the tone for my new year. I don't speak English like they did in the 1600's.I rephrased this prayer in 2000's American English so I could understand it better. It sounds kind of funny when I describe it like that. This is really for me but I’ll share it with you. Please forgive me, Thomas Brooks.)

Lord, here am I. Do with me as You please. Write on me what You please. I give up myself to be at Your disposal.

The ambitious woman gives herself up to her honors but I give up myself unto You. The worldly woman gives herself up to her pleasures but I give up myself to You. The selfish woman gives herself up to her idols but I give up myself to You.

Lord, lay what burden You will on me, only let Your everlasting arms be under me. I lay down my will to You. I have learned from my past to surrender everything to Your will for Your will is always for my good. You have a greater interest in me than I have in myself so I can surrender my all to You with this confidence.

I am ready to receive what impression You want to stamp on me.

Your mercy pardons me. Your salvation justifies me. Your righteousness clothes me. Your Spirit leads me.Your grace enriches me. Therefore, how can I not give myself totally to You?

Lord! here I am. Do with me what is good in Your own eyes.

I know the best way to live my life  is to say, “ Amen,”  to Your, “Amen.”

So Be it!

Amen!

(Thomas Brooks (1608—1680). An English Puritan preacher, who lived in London during the Great Plague. This was remade from a prayer in "The Mute Christian Under the Smarting Rod" in The Complete Works of Thomas Brooks, edited by Rev. Alexander Balloch Grosart, Volume 1 (Edinburgh: James Nichol, 1866), 305—306.)

Another Goal, Another Dream

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” C. S. Lewis

I spent 14 hours with C. S. Lewis (CD’s of some of his books) in all of my travels over the Christmas holidays. Needless to say, we bonded. As I consider this New Year, I was reminded to set another goal and/or dream a new dream.

2 Corinthians 5:6-9 says that we are to live our lives in belief and hope in Christ not by what the world shows us. And so our reality is really our future dream not what is going on around us. We would rather be in our future dream of heaven but this dream gives us the courage to live in the present world. So wherever we fall in this world/heaven area our goal is to strive in zealous pursuit of hearing, “Well done!” from our Heavenly Father God through Christ Jesus. (OK, I’m channeling my inner C.S. Lewis.)

For we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him. 2 Corinthians 5:6-9  

I have decided for my 2015 New Year’s resolution to strive for the “well done.” I’m setting this as a goal. I’m dreaming this as a new dream.

And, thank you C.S. Lewis, it’s not too late to pursue this.

It's not too late for you to dream this dream either.

There is no expiration date in pleasing God.

My Messiah

We hear the word “Messiah” used a lot around this time of year in carols and Christmas plays and sermons. So I did a little study on this word used in the Bible.

Messiah in Hebrew means anointed chosen one. Messiah is “Christ” in Greek. So all through the Old and New Testament our Messiah Chosen One Christ is sprinkled about. It seems everyone in scripture was talking about Him and looking forward to this special time of His rule and reign.

Some thought the Messiah Christ would be their deliverer king. Some thought He would be ordained for a special Jewish oriented purpose in an unmistakable political role. But all of the Children of Israel lived with a future hope mentality. I must say that most were a little selfish in their hope because they thought Messiah was just for their own people.

Now before I get all down on the Children of Israel I have to admit I’m a little selfish with my Jesus Messiah. After Jesus The Christ’s resurrection a new hope was introduced to the world: that He was for everyone. I’m so thankful.

I rest firmly in the belief that He was, is, and will be Deliverer, Lord, God, Savior, set apart, and ordained for me, me, me. See, I said I was a little selfish.

When I need to find hope I go to My Christ. When I need to resolve my sin I go to my Christ. When I need help in any of my life situations I go to my Christ. When I want to worship I go to my Christ. When I want to feel unconditionally loved I go to …..well you know what’s coming next. He is the all and supplier of everything to me, me, me.

I know I kind of sound like the seagulls in the cartoon movie, Jesus is “mine, mine, mine.”

Good news !!! Jesus the Christ is ,”yours, yours, yours.”

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God

1 John 5:1

So this Christmas, my Messiah can be yours too.

That’s enough to give everyone a Merry Christmas!

Come, Lord Jesus!

Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Rev. 22:12-13 & 20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

I was subbing in a first grade class at my favorite Christian School. When it came to Bible time, I was to read from the Bible curriculum about the shepherds that came to the stable to worship the baby Savior, and the Wisemen who came to the house to worship the child Savior, and Joseph taking his little family to Egypt because of the anger of the king. Well, I got through the whole account of events and ended with, “And you can see how God the Father protected His Son Jesus Christ through this whole time.” And I closed the Bible curriculum book.

One little girl shouted out, “Wait, Is that the end of the story?” I know she meant, “Was it the end of Bible time?” but the Holy Spirit pricked my heart. An “Aha” moment reminded me that this is not the end of the story. We have been for centuries and are continuing to wait for the end of this wonderful story.

Jesus is coming again. We are waiting with anxious anticipation. Just like the Children of Israel waited with eager hope of the coming of Messiah, we wait. Just as the shepherds and eastern Magi rejoiced and worshipped the Messiah, the Emmanuel, the God with us, we will rejoice and worship again when He comes as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Our Pastor Wade is taking us through Revelation but I raced ahead to the end of the Revelation from God in my Bible. Jesus ends our scripture by saying that he is coming soon. He said He is the beginning and end of it all. And John the writer of this Revelation ends by saying that he is anxiously awaiting that Day.

We haven’t come to the end of the story. So I shout like John of old;

Amen!

                                                          

    Come Lord Jesus!

Christmas: Press Pause

Last week my sister and I were going over all the things we have to do before Christmas. I think we tell each other so that we can remind ourselves of anything we may have forgotten. Halfway through our lists I said, “Let’s just pause a moment and celebrate the birth of Jesus on earth…moment’s over.” We laughed at my little joke but I silently promised myself that I would take a moment to worship the Emmanuel Jesus Christ Son of God.

Then my week got crowded. I thought that I would take the time to concentrate on the words of our Christmas program at choir practice but ended up concentrating more on the notes of the music. At night, I addressed Christmas cards, wrapped presents, and decorated my house. Then, of course, the Christmas parties have started. By Thursday I realized that I had not taken a worship moment. Oh, I did my Bible study but worked it into the busy schedule any old how.

On Thursday I was asked to substitute in the elementary library. It was there in the middle of all the little books with the kindergarten group that I got to pause and celebrated Christmas. They had been so busy for weeks practicing for their school Christmas play and I was supposed to just show them the movie, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” to give them a little break in their high stress practice schedule. Easy money.

And the movie just reinforced what was going on in my busy Christmas or bust life. Charlie was coerced into directing the school play and no one was co-operating. Lucy made Schroder play “Jingle Bells” until he got it right. Snoopy was decorating his dog house for a best lights display contest. Finally Charlie Brown asked if anyone knew the real meaning for all this hoopla about Christmas. And thank you Charles Shultz cartoon creator because he let the whole movie stop as Linus quoted Luke 2:8-14

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men.

"...That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

And I stopped and listened and worshiped. The kindergartners did too. Then after the movie as they colored a Christmas tree, they began to spontaneously sing loudly. And it wasn’t “Jingle Bells”, or “Rudolf.” It was “Silent Night”, “Joy to the World” “Away in a Manger”, and one Christmas hymn after another. The singing kept going and didn’t stop until their library time was over. I was the worst substitute librarian ever because I threw library etiquette and decorum out of the window and sang just as loudly with them. They didn’t sing because they had too, or because these songs were in their play. They sang because they wanted too. They worshiped in their kindergarten way and I worshiped with them.

I pressed “pause.”

I took the time for my heart to really look in the manger and worship the baby,

the “God with us” baby.

And I sang loudly.

“Oh come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.”