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You are here: Home / Archives for Character

What’s This About Christmas and Tiny Tim?

By livingabovethenoise

Well, we’ve entered into this holiday season full swing!  In our home, the decorations were slowly put up to savor each activity — the gifts gathered with each special person in mind — the Christmas movies enjoyed as we take time to relax after a long day.

One of our favorite stories this time of year is A Christmas Carol.  Charles Dickens said it best as he reminded us what’s important at Christmas.

My heart’s desire is that we take time to remember why we celebrate this day — why it’s our favorite season!

  • First, it’s not all about the lights or the decorations or our favorite Christmas melodies (although they add so much to this time of year).
  • It’s not all about the cookie recipes our families pass down for generations.
  • It’s not the gifts piled under the tree (we often have 20+ family members celebrating with us — so the gifts are piled!)
  • It’s not even winter’s glistening frost lit by the sun casting long shadows across the yard.  It does make it feel, oh so, Christmas-y!

So what is it all about?

  • It’s ALL about the Son – God’s Son who cast His shadow across history and all of creation so many years ago in a manger!
  • It’s all about the Baby who made shepherds pause in wonder and angels sing praise and glory.
  • The Child who caused wise men to travel for years to seek this Messiah.
  • And as Tiny Tim said in our favorite Dicken’s story, that Baby-turned-Man “who made the blind to see and the lame to walk”!

‘And how did Tiny Tim behave?’, asked Mrs. Cratchit …….‘As good as gold.’ said Bob, ‘and better.  Somehow he gets thoughtful sitting by himself so much and thinks the strangest things you ever heard.  He told me coming home that he hoped the people saw him in the church because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember on Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk and blind men see.’                                                                                                                    A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens

Oh, this is my absolute favorite line in all of Charles Dicken’s novels!  May we truly see the Truth of declaring the Gospel in his simple words.

Blessings to you as you prepare for this beautiful season of remembering God’s Son!

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And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.  But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.  The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.  Luke 2:18-20

Friendship — The Gift of Love

By livingabovethenoise

Be a Friend

During the early years of homeschooling, our children would read the Pathway Readers, written during a more simple era.  One lesson from them stood the test of time.  I must have quoted this a hundred times in my life as a parent!

“If you want to have a friend, you need to be a friend.”

Recently, we had a chance meeting with a man from our community.  (Actually, is anything really chance?)  He offered us his friendship — just because.  After spending a bit of time with him, we could easily see that he lives out what he teaches in a little book he wrote.  It’s called The Success Puzzle and in it, he explains simple, yet profound, truths on making the most of our opportunities.

One way Dick blesses others is to give his little book away to those he meets.  Needless to say, it has been relished as we read the wisdom contained therein.  The quotes below are a sampling of the truths found in his book:

“Friendships matter in life and in our journey of making a difference.”

A friend is “one who influences in the right direction.”

“Our major concern is that we be a friend to someone else.”

“Teach the lesson that you are not being a friend when you help someone do wrong.”

You know, there are always opportunities to re-learn things we thought we knew and practice things we thought we were good at.  This was one of them!

Let’s Do Things God’s Way

Life is entirely about being drawn to do things God’s ways and in His timing.  In living life on planet Earth, we spend most of our lives learning that our ways can’t be trusted because we so often act out of selfishness.  Then we learn that trusting God’s way is always best.  And guess what?  God promises we will certainly gain blessings when we follow a path of obedience and faith.  Seems simple, doesn’t it? 

Ah, but it’s not that simple!  And why?  Because we were born in sin and continue to follow our flesh.  It takes the “work” which Paul exhorts us to, to live and walk out our faith.  It takes work to go against our flesh, our way, our selfish path of getting what we want in life.  Not really simple at all.  But then again, could it be?

Could it actually be simple if we would just cultivate the strong faith spoken of in ages past?

Could we really do this obedience thing and live out the love of Christ?

Could we simply trust?

Let Go.  Let God.

I’m beginning to believe we can.  But in order to do it, we have to let go of all the extra stuff we have believed and learned and lived since we took our first breath!  You know, the greed, selfishness, fear, guilt, anger, pride…  Yikes, that sounds difficult.  Yet as each day passes, I’m seeing life wearing. me. down.  And I’m realizing God allows it for my good.  He allows it for all our good!

God wants our flesh and our will to be worn down so He can use us for His good.  As life takes its toll on us, we begin to see how pointless all our striving is.  Striving to get what we want, do what we think is best, and serve self above all.  Where has it gotten us really?

Oh, the peace and rest that comes from surrendering self to God and His purposes.

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Love God.  Serve Others.

So where am I headed here?  Simply to impress on us that loving and serving the God above must bring us to loving and serving those around us.  (Even when they aren’t lovely or perfect or the least bit like us.)

Here’s my point, and it’s one I’m trying to remember every day! —

Every one of us is trying to live here on earth the best we know how.

And believe it or not, God has offered us a reality and a direction for love and true success in life.  It isn’t by making tons of money, or gaining acclaim on the internet, or by having the most likes on Facebook.  It’s by loving and offering those around us a sense of value, just for being alive on this planet.

So let’s be a friend to others.  

Let’s offer a smile – a simple kindness – a word of encouragement.  

Let’s give them a sense of what Christ’s love feels like as they walk in our door.  

This, my friend, is what it’s all about!  Help others to do good and not evil.  Help them to see they are worth something in a world that makes us all feel very small.

It’s all too easy to follow what everyone else is doing.  To talk behind one another’s backs.  To add to the gossip.  To avoid those who don’t look like us.  To hang with only those who behave the way we think they should.  Instead….

Let’s love.

Let’s be kind.

Let’s see one another as God sees us….Beloved.  Child.  Rescued.

Today, let’s give the gift of Love & Life.  Our life in Christ can lift us higher than we imagined as we view others the way God views each of us.

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Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.  Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourselves;  do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.  Philippians 2:1-4

 

 

Are Christians Like Woodpeckers?

By livingabovethenoise

Are Christians Like Woodpeckers?

I peered out my window the other day and saw an amazingly huge Woodpecker stabbing at the Crab Apple tree.  I watched in awe as he made his rounds, looking for whatever grubs he might find.  Somehow, it reminded me of people and how often we, yes, each one of us, look like that bird, seeking whom we might devour.  Looking for the holes and grubs in other people’s lives.  Trying to feed ourselves and feel better for all the wrong we see in the world.

But then, I saw in my mind’s eye, Jesus.  Yes, Jesus.  I thought of how I used to think of Him as one who also looked for the flaws and sins in each of our lives.  You see, my old-school, Catholic upbringing somehow gave me this picture of Jesus.  The One who judges.  I guess I heard of Him as judge and thought He was constantly watching and judging and condemning us.  So many of the early years of my salvation were spent wondering and worrying and watching everything I did to make sure I was in line with God.  Now that’s a lot of work(s)!

I am ever so grateful that God has done a great work in my life in recent years.  He has given many lessons to bring me to a true knowledge of Who he is and how he works in our lives.  Jesus saves now and judges later.  We only need to trust and obey and love to find health and wholeness in our life.  And then the real kicker?  We offer that same love to those around us.  Amazing simplicity!

So the moral of this Woodpecker story?  Let’s not allow old ideas to be master of our thoughts and hearts.  Let’s not be Woodpeckers in other’s lives, casting judgment, and searching for the grubs.  Let’s not use Christianity as an excuse to be the microscope peering into other people’s lives.  And certainly, let’s not picture Jesus as One who sits on the throne just waiting for our sin to pop out.

God loves us.  Jesus came to save the sinner and forgive past, present, and future sins.  All we need to do is follow Him, trusting that He is God.  Let Him do the rest.

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Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.  We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.  By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.  We love, because He first loved us. 1 John 4:15-19
When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.  The people of every nation will be gathered in front of him.  He will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on his right but the goats on his left.  Matthew 25:31-33

Are Christians Like Woodpeckers really final

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Let Pain Do It’s Perfect Work

By livingabovethenoise

Do you try to avoid pain, sadness, or discouragement? There's a better way. God tells us to mourn and weep, to let it grow us through the hard times. We live in a society that does it’s utmost to avoid pain.  We are told to “be happy,” “put a smile on your face,” and “grab a Coke, Starbucks, or Budweiser.”  You name it, there’s a slogan or a product to keep us feeling anything other than pain, sadness, or discouragement.

Yet, all we need are the Scriptures to see that God has other plans for us.  In James 4:9, we are told to mourn and weep.  This sounds like depressing advice, but Ellicott’s commentary reminds us that “For wretchedness, sorrow, and tears are the three steps of the homeward way to peace and God.”   It appears God wants us to know we have a better future than what presents itself today.  There is a better way.  We could be better people if we would only let God and the circumstances He allows into our lives do their work.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.   Matthew 5:4

My father died November 4, 2015.  It was a day that will be forever etched in my memory.  The man who was responsible for my very being is gone.  One of only a few persons who truly care about my life is no longer in my life.

As I was talking about my experience with some friends, they shared about how our society keeps death and sickness at bay; we clean up the messiness and anguish of death, confining it to hospitals and nursing homes.  We don’t allow it to do its work in the human soul.

I am a better, stronger person for having helped my Dad from this world into his spiritual spot in Heaven.   It was messy and painful and not a pretty picture.  Yet, I believe I grew a much deeper perspective of what it means to live, develop the spiritual part of our life (souls), and to leave this earth, our physical existence.

Most people in this world believe this is their only existence.  Their souls are empty spaces, void of life, not nurtured to know the living God.  They are hollow, empty shells of what they could be and devoid of the great work they could do for God.  Our soul and its future is the reason for our existence.  Not to have a house with the white picket fence, or a bazillion kids (or even just 1.8), or a six-figure income (and a perfect figure!), or a summer home.  Nope.  We are sold this bill of goods as the American dream; but the only true source of life and future is in God’s plan, in Christ alone.

But somehow, someway, we must relish in this untidy, temporary life we have in order to understand the permanent, the eternal side of it.  Take time today to think of what distracts you from the “real” of life, from the messy, human part that was designed to cause us to truly consider that without God, we are nothing but dust!

Let God do His work and enter into the uncomfortable parts of life and death; don’t be afraid to feel and learn what is needed to grow deeper with Him.  See the value of your soul, not cast it away to be worried about another day.  God gave us our souls to be lived in eternity with Him.

Thank you, God for giving us eternity and for sending your Son to show the way!

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‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’   Isaiah 41:10
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.   1 Thessalonians 4:13

 

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