February 5, 2012: Stitched in with Love

one gift stitched, one hammered, one woven:

• one gift stitched: me, and the comfort and peace it brings to know that. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. (Psalm 139:5).   He keeps me protected and warm, stitched in by his loving care.
• one gift hammered: the keyboard and drums during worship in church this morning.  My church's worship band is among the best I've ever heard and I love to worship there more than anywhere else.  There is the most beautiful spirit of truth and love when we sing together in praise to our God. 
• one gift woven: the complexity and richness of God's Word.  Heard a teaching at church this morning that once again revolutionized a passage of Scripture that I've heard many times.  Acts 12:1-17 is the story of Peter's miraculous release from prison.  It's also an archetype of my (and your) miraculous release from the prison of our own making. We all create prisons for ourselves, prisons built by choices to addictions like anger, fear, jealousy, approval, money, anxiety, work.  The miracle is that all it takes for our release is the choice to reach out and take the outstretched hand of the one who died to set us free.  "The Spirit of the Lord is on me [Jesus], because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free."  (Luke 4:18)

January 10, 2012: Jesus Is Just. Right.

A gift that's sour, a gift that's sweet, a gift that's Just. Right. 

• A gift that's sour: It was a gift to celebrate a very special aunt's 92nd birthday tonight, but the sour part was having to leave the party early.  In retrospect though, the just right gift was the result of the sour.  Isn't that so often the case? Something tastes sour at first, but if you don't spit it out, it ends up to be delicious!
• A gift that's sweet: God gifted us with a wonderful answer to prayer on our daughter's behalf.  She is miserable at her job and very much wanted to get away for a couple of days by joining us for an upcoming family outing,  but couldn't get anyone to work for her.  I told her that we'd be praying about it and to not count it as loss until we see what God might do.  Today my daughter called me to tell me that someone who originally told her she couldn't work for her, now can.
• A gift that's Just. Right: A little time tonight to be with Jesus.  A few moments to sit and be quiet in the midst of an unusually busy week.