The Healing Presence of the Friend...

Lord, my friends are becoming lonely in their days, they need to know the healing touch of Your presence. Please make Yourself known to them in their difficult days.

And the Lord says, “You show them.”

But Lord, I am only an ordinary person, no special talent or place. I am not You. Don’t they need You?

And the Lord says, “You show them Me.”

But Lord, they need to know Your love in their lives. I can’t show them that.

And the Lord says, “You show them My love in their lives.”

But Lord, don’t they need that special touch from You?

And the Lord says, “You give them that touch.”

But Lord, how?

And the Lord says, “You have told them of My love for them. You have shared My heart. I want you now to share the love that I have placed in you. You need only to be present in the crisis. Be at peace with Me. Let them see you as real and loving, flawed and forgiven, human and humble. And trust that they will come to understand Me by the way you live your life.”

"This is My commandment that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends, if you do what I command you." John 15:12-14

Christmas and the Ultimate Romance...

Many of my friends who know me well will wonder what in the world I’m doing writing about romance. I have to be one of the most non-romantic women in the world (barring, of course, my private appreciation for such marvelous movies as The Princess Bride and songs like The Unchained Melody). But recently I have come to realize that romance is something that perhaps has been missing in my life and that the One who desires to woo me has been there all the time.

The Christmas season is a time of constant discussion about family, love, faith, hope, giving, gracious receiving and most importantly, the physical birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. His coming into the world, as one of His creation, is a mystery best left to the theologians. I only understand that His birth made Him the perfect and only person who could fulfill God’s mission of reconciliation. God loves us, and His Son Jesus, died to atone for the sins of mankind that separate us from that Holy, yet loving Father.

So, what has that to do with romance?

Everything.

Because when you are romancing someone, you are desiring for them to be with you. And when you are being romanced, you are making a choice to allow your heart to be vulnerable. God desires for us to be with Him for all time, starting now. And He will, and has, moved Heaven and Earth to see to it that we know that He loves us and wants us to be in His presence. We must respond by making the choice to allow ourselves to be vulnerable to Him. The perfection here is that He will never leave us.

I must thank a new friend for waking this feeling up in me. While I may have misunderstood his intentions, I have seen God’s hand in it. I am not always ready to be vulnerable to those around me. I have wanted to be ‘safe’ in my own heart and not allow any risk for the hurt that might come. But, risk I must, because my message is the love of our God and His desire for us to be with Him.

But beyond the message, there is the relationship. This is where I have been lacking in understanding. I know God’s love in Jesus personally, but there is a depth in my relationship with Him that I have not been to yet, and it is to this depth that He is wooing me.

A Prayer for Our New President...

Father God, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit…

I pray that You will lead our country and the leader we have chosen, Barak Obama. He will not have an easy time of it, this is a hard job to do. I do not know his relationship with You, I pray that if he does not have one that he will seek it, and if he does that it will increase in strength and intimacy. Protect him, his family, Joe Biden, his family and all who will work with them. They will need You.

The change that is spoken of is deep and resonating, and not desired by all. There are things that not everyone will agree with, and that is normal. We have been described as a large and quarrelsome family, but a family nonetheless. Help us to realize that we will need to be a united force in the things that matter, choose to agree to disagree in the things that don't, and loving in the heated discussions that will result from deep convictions.

I come to this with a sense of encouragement, knowing that You guide us all. Please give Your people the humility to come to You and the desire to seek Your will.

I love You Lord, and pray this in Jesus' name and by His grace,

Amen