(How cute is he??)It's so hard to believe that one year has already gone by!!! I know I am being really unbiased here, but I'm pretty sure my nephew is the cutest thing on the earth right now.....
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Familiarizing Myself...
I is for Intimate
Those of you who know me well are probably doing a double take at the word above. You're thinking, "this ought to be good, Becky writing about intimacy." You would be correct. I have never been all that comfortable with the idea of initmacy. I mean, even a hug is stretching it for me. But I was reading something the other day that made rethink the idea of initmacy and God.
In our Sunday night small group we are reading and discussing "How to Listen to God" by Charles Stanley. It's been a really good discussion and definitely a heart searching read. The chapter we discussed two weeks ago was about meditation. Meditation sort of gets a negative connotation but it's value and it's affects can be so rewarding.
One of the things about meditation is that it is an opportunity to enter God's presence and be completely and entirely real with Him. One of the definitions of the word "intimate" is 'marked by very close association, contact, or familiarity'. Isn't it wonderful that we have a God who not only wants but craves for us to be familiar with Him. For us to know His ways and to be so completley and confidently comfortable with Him.
At first, the idea of being made known completely by God is a little frightening. My shortcomings and inabilities being magnified and having no place to hide is more than a little disconcerting. But therein lies the beauty of initmacy. Those areas where I fear I fall short go away and no longer matter. All that matters is my relationship with the One who created me.
I still find it amazing that the Creator of the highest mountains and the deepest oceans, still cherishes time with me. He who made the stars desires to put His arms around me and hold me close. He desires for me to become familiar with Him.
Those of you who know me well are probably doing a double take at the word above. You're thinking, "this ought to be good, Becky writing about intimacy." You would be correct. I have never been all that comfortable with the idea of initmacy. I mean, even a hug is stretching it for me. But I was reading something the other day that made rethink the idea of initmacy and God.
In our Sunday night small group we are reading and discussing "How to Listen to God" by Charles Stanley. It's been a really good discussion and definitely a heart searching read. The chapter we discussed two weeks ago was about meditation. Meditation sort of gets a negative connotation but it's value and it's affects can be so rewarding.
One of the things about meditation is that it is an opportunity to enter God's presence and be completely and entirely real with Him. One of the definitions of the word "intimate" is 'marked by very close association, contact, or familiarity'. Isn't it wonderful that we have a God who not only wants but craves for us to be familiar with Him. For us to know His ways and to be so completley and confidently comfortable with Him.
At first, the idea of being made known completely by God is a little frightening. My shortcomings and inabilities being magnified and having no place to hide is more than a little disconcerting. But therein lies the beauty of initmacy. Those areas where I fear I fall short go away and no longer matter. All that matters is my relationship with the One who created me.
I still find it amazing that the Creator of the highest mountains and the deepest oceans, still cherishes time with me. He who made the stars desires to put His arms around me and hold me close. He desires for me to become familiar with Him.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Answered Prayer
H is for Healer
Last Saturday when I finished up the letter "G" I immediately felt this sense of dread. Because "H" was the next letter. I was hoping I could just go onto letter "I" and forget about that dreadful "H". But since most of you who read this are pretty aware of things, I guess I better not try to skip a letter...or at least wait until "X".
Knowing that this letter was going to give me some problems, I took the matter to God. The other night I prayed that God would give me a word for the letter "H". I felt silly for doing so at first, but then I thought, "Why wouldn't God want me to figure Him out a little bit more?". So, I prayed and then I waited....
The answer came to me this morning. Healer. I subbed in a class at preschool today and it's funny how God can use circle time to answer prayer. The Bible story this week was the one where Jesus healed the paralyzed man whose friends lowered through the roof. What faith that must have taken on those men's parts. Faith in Jesus that He would heal their friend. And because of their faith, Jesus healed the man.
Broken bones, broken hearts, broken spirits. God heals. God is the ultimate physician and the most capable caretaker. When we hurt, he hurts but the glorious thing is, He is able to make the pain go away. In His time and His power, our afflictions can be healed. Whether He chooses to do so on this side of eternity or on the other, He will heal our pain.
I know at times, this is easy to forget. Sometimes, it is so easy to succumb to the pain and despair of our physical or emotional ailments. I'm sure that for a moment, that paralyzed man thought, "What's the point in ruining a perfectly good roof?" but what a sight that must have been to see. A man, whose legs were unmoving, all of a sudden putting one foot in front of the other.
Isn't it amazing that we have a God who is able to heal even the biggest of hurts? A God who wants us to come to Him. Even if it's through the roof .
Last Saturday when I finished up the letter "G" I immediately felt this sense of dread. Because "H" was the next letter. I was hoping I could just go onto letter "I" and forget about that dreadful "H". But since most of you who read this are pretty aware of things, I guess I better not try to skip a letter...or at least wait until "X".
Knowing that this letter was going to give me some problems, I took the matter to God. The other night I prayed that God would give me a word for the letter "H". I felt silly for doing so at first, but then I thought, "Why wouldn't God want me to figure Him out a little bit more?". So, I prayed and then I waited....
The answer came to me this morning. Healer. I subbed in a class at preschool today and it's funny how God can use circle time to answer prayer. The Bible story this week was the one where Jesus healed the paralyzed man whose friends lowered through the roof. What faith that must have taken on those men's parts. Faith in Jesus that He would heal their friend. And because of their faith, Jesus healed the man.
Broken bones, broken hearts, broken spirits. God heals. God is the ultimate physician and the most capable caretaker. When we hurt, he hurts but the glorious thing is, He is able to make the pain go away. In His time and His power, our afflictions can be healed. Whether He chooses to do so on this side of eternity or on the other, He will heal our pain.
I know at times, this is easy to forget. Sometimes, it is so easy to succumb to the pain and despair of our physical or emotional ailments. I'm sure that for a moment, that paralyzed man thought, "What's the point in ruining a perfectly good roof?" but what a sight that must have been to see. A man, whose legs were unmoving, all of a sudden putting one foot in front of the other.
Isn't it amazing that we have a God who is able to heal even the biggest of hurts? A God who wants us to come to Him. Even if it's through the roof .
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Beautiful Day
(Do you see it?)G is for Gentle
Happy New Year!!! Can you believe we are already a week and half into 2009? Hard to believe.
Anyway, here goes...
The Tuesday after Christmas, Katy and I woke up before the crack of dawn to start our trip down to South Carolina. It was a beautiful morning. The stars were out and the sky was clear. We were very excited about our trip. We were heading down to see Chris, Allison, and Jake and we had a car full of toys, including a wagon, to bring to Jake and plenty of CD's to make the journey. We made a stop at the Wawa for gas and breakfast (can you beat a Wawa breakfast?)and then we were off.
We were driving south through Richmond when I first noticed it. It was a gradual thing really. I didn't pay much attention to it at first but then after awhile it was all I saw. The sun was rising and there in the sky was a beautiful color. I can't even tell you exactly what color it was and it would be tough to try and describe. It was a combination of night sky and morning sunrise. The softest color I have ever seen. Between the harshness of the rising sun and the blackness of night, it was there.
I believe God is like that color. Sometimes hard to distuguish but always there. There have been times in my life where I have been blinded by the harsh rays of a new morning and other times, overcome by the blackest of nights. Looking back on those moments, I am able to see that God was in the middle of it all. He was right there, gently guiding and bringing me out on the other side.
It turned out to be a beautiful morning, followed by a beautiful day. And it all started with a beautiful sunrise.
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